---

“So, you’re just going to let that being, who looks like the Goddess, be?”

“Yeah. I think it’ll be fun if a being with such huge power pops up…”

At my words, Asherat looked troubled, running a hand through her hair.

“Fun? Do you know how much damage those monsters caused when they were drawn to its magical power? Many died, and even those who survived are injured or have suffered financial losses!”

“Did that really happen?”

“Of course! It seems like the Goddess isn’t concerned, but even if they’re alive now, those who lost their homes have a bleak future! Plus, a lot of people have become refugees due to losing their places to stay!”

Hmm… The number of dead doesn’t seem that high, but I guess that’s not the whole picture.

Well, death isn’t the only form of damage.

“Although the Church of Life provided some support for the refugees, letting that thing stay like this seems like it’ll lead to trouble,” she continued.

“Hm… Is that so?”

“Yes! So please do something about it. If we just consider the power it possesses, it rivals certain gods! The deities in the Divine Hall are probably starting to eye it too.”

“So, it’s like a god that can descend to the earth?”

Most gods are restricted from descending, but that thing, born on the ground, doesn’t have such limitations.

Hmm… It wouldn’t be difficult to eliminate it, but it’d be a shame to destroy something interesting without witnessing it properly.

“Or you could ask the dragons to deal with it. I think they could handle it well enough.”

“But if we use it, we could create a tale about the Demon King.”

“A tale about the Demon King?”

“Yeah. The Demon King.”

At my words, Asherat tilted her head. Well, the concept of a Demon King might be foreign to her.

“Let’s say, it’s the enemy of humanity. A being that acts to exclude life.”

“Exclude life? So, you want to make that thing, which resembles the Goddess, the enemy of the Goddess?”

“Um… Rather than my enemy, it feels more like the enemy of life?”

“That’s basically the same thing!”

Well, I am the Goddess of Life, so it can be seen that way!

“Is it really okay to create something like that?! What if it causes some kind of problem?! An enemy of humanity? What if it wipes out all human life and the life on this world?”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m planning to adjust the balance with appropriate interventions to prevent that from happening.”

At my words, Asherat replied with a look of disbelief.

“Adjusting the balance…? Don’t you think that’s a bit too lighthearted? This is about life! You’re the one who governs over those beings! It’s not something to be taken lightly!”

Hmm… I hadn’t thought of it that lightly. I just wanted to see an interesting story, after all.

“I’ve never treated it lightly. If I really did take it lightly… shouldn’t this world itself be my toy?”

Despite my appearance, it’s true that I value and cherish life.

As the cause of life’s birth, I hold a sense of responsibility.

But still.

“The existence of such a powerful enemy is… necessary for the lives on the ground.”

“Necessary? An enemy that wants to kill them all?”

“Yeah. Let me tell you a story.”

I started to unravel a tale to Asherat.

“A long time ago, fishermen in a certain sea had a dilemma. They were happy to catch a tank full of fish on their boat, but that fish couldn’t live long outside the vast sea.”

Originally, it was herring, but let’s just say it’s mudfish for now, for brevity.

“One day, the fishermen thought: wouldn’t having a predator threatening this fish allow it to thrive? So they put a bigger fish that preyed on it into the tank, and surprisingly, that fish survived even in the narrow tank.”

“A predator…?”

“Yup. A predator. With the presence of a bigger fish that could eat it, that fish was able to survive even in a cramped tank.”

“The existence of a predator makes one crave life…?”

“Of course, while some fish ended up being eaten by that predator, many managed to be relocated alive.”

It was a story completely devoid of scientific basis. It had nothing to do with reality and was more of an anecdote concerning history or economics.

“While there was no such fish in reality, the presence of a strong enemy that threatens oneself can indeed spur significant development. Think of it like a whip effect.”

Development through war and competition has happened numerous times in history.

Without competition, one tends to become complacent, and complacency leads to decline.

Just like fish that desperately flee for their lives, life cannot afford to be complacent.

“So, does that mean you’re going to unleash this Demon King?”

“I will, of course, make sure to regulate it. We can’t let it strike too hard and kill the ‘fish,’ can we?”

After all, it’s important to adjust everything appropriately.

“Then… um… it feels like there should be a demon king if that’s truly the case…”

Asherat pondered.

She fell into thought about whether that was the right thing to do.

“And there will already be beings prepared to restrain that Demon King, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Beings prepared to restrain it?”

In response to Asherat’s question, I drew a sword.

The sword of the hero that had been without a master for a long time—Chloive Solais.

Asherat’s expression changed as if she recalled something forgotten at the sight of the sword.

“The Hero…!”

“Yup. The Hero.”

I said with a small smile.

“Since ancient times, the hero and the Demon King have been two sides of the same coin, inseparable like the two sides of a coin. If the Demon King appears, then the hero should also show up.”

“B-but… the Hero hasn’t appeared in a long time…”

“Since they haven’t appeared in a while, wouldn’t it be okay for them to show up soon?”

Another hero. It’s probably the right time for the legendary hero to appear.

“Then, will the Goddess personally search for the human who will be the hero? Or will you descend as the Dragon Priestess?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I’m still thinking about it. But… you seem oddly happy?”

Asherat’s eyes glittered at the sight of the hero’s sword. For some reason, her expression was filled with joy.

“That’s because I quite like the story of heroes. If something like it is created again, wouldn’t that be amazing?”

Hmm… Is that all?

In a world where entertainment is scarce, such stories are bound to be delightful amusements.

“Anyway, I understand. Now I know the Goddess is not planning to create the existence of the Demon King lightly. I’ll accept that.”

“Or is it because you accepted that a hero’s story will be created?”

“I-I didn’t!”

Despite being a diligent Asherat working as a representative of the Goddess of Life, she shows strange gaps in her reasoning.

In any case, it seems like Asherat has somewhat accepted it.

“Would it be better to choose a child with moderate talent to become the Dragon Priestess?”

“Oh, but you know, that Demon King. It closely resembles the Goddess… doesn’t it kinda remind you of the Dragon Priestess?”

“Of course! It resembles me, so it’s natural to remind you of the Dragon Priestess, right?”

The description of the Dragon Priestess was originally based on my humanoid form. If it resembles me, it must also resemble the Dragon Priestess.

At a glance… it could even be seen as resembling a Dragon Priestess rather than a Demon King…

“Ah! I just had a great idea!”

I smiled as I looked at the Demon King, who had yet to bud and develop a self.

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

One day, a girl appeared at the main branch of the Church of Life.

A small child. It wasn’t unusual for such a child to be entrusted to the Temple of Life, but this time the story was different.

The girl, with shining silver hair, had a pair of horns growing from her head like those of a dragon.

In other words, a Dragon Priestess had appeared.

A small girl who didn’t even know her name and whose self had yet to bloom.

The priests of the Church of Life gave the Dragon Priestess the utmost care, taking her into the Church of Life and raising her.

“That’s how you can live here from now on.”

At my words, the little girl tilted her head slightly.

“Ah, uh?”

“Hmm. Since she’s still like a little baby, I guess that can’t be helped. She probably doesn’t even understand what I’m saying.”

“Uh… Uhh… Uwaaa!”

“It really seems like her head is completely empty.”

Surely, even a newborn would know more than this child.

Well, it can’t be helped. I can’t approach directly, so I had to guess and make do. There’s no choice but to overlook the shortcomings.

I watched the Dragon Priestess, who was still struggling to understand, or rather, the girl who was the body of the Demon King.

I had roughly split the Demon King into two and divided the newly created body and the unfurling self, each receiving half of the immense magical power as a result. Now, the unknowing child of the Dragon Priestess had come to be.

By loosely connecting the child’s empty mind and my own spirit, I planned to treat her as a sort of clone…

So, it could be called the “Operation: The Dragon Priestess, Who’s Actually the Body of the Demon King!”

Thus, I began to offer various forms of assistance to the Dragon Priestess through this loose connection.

Ah, for reference, it was impossible to face her directly. I tried to get a little closer, and her body started to transform into magical energy immediately.

In the end, all I could really do was help her from a distance by lending my knowledge.

 

---