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Parenting is no easy job, but it sure is rewarding.

Taking care of a little kid who knows nothing and teaching them so much only to see them grow into a wonderful person—well, even I, who am not human, can’t help but feel a bit moved by it.

“O Goddess of Life, grant your blessings to all these people today as well.”

Physically, the Dragon Priestess had not grown that much, but inside, she had matured beyond comparison. As she prayed for others, she delivered blessings to those who called out to her.

With that, a radiant light burst forth, enveloping everyone in the worship hall, and after a moment, the light subsided.

The blessed light from the Goddess of Life seeped into all who were present, healing their wounds.

It truly was a miraculous sight, where many were recovering from just a single prayer.

But…

“Didn’t you use too much power? That person over there without legs just grew new ones!”

“That’s okay. That person is a soldier. They’ll need both legs to protect others.”

The Dragon Priestess had grown into a very kind child.

She viewed the pain of others as her own and aimed to share what she had with those around her.

She had grown with a temperament that was more than suitable to be called a saint.

Well, one could say that her growth was a bit too rapid, but what can you do?

If I were to list every single aspect of parenting, it would be like listing off sweet potatoes—so many things happened… I’d rather just gloss over it.

Anyway, the child who used to question everything she saw had now grown into a proper Dragon Priestess.

“But why? Why are so many people suffering?”

Of course, even after growing up, her barrage of questions hadn’t ceased.

Now she was throwing deep, thought-provoking questions, rather than just basic knowledge.

“Living beings are always accompanied by pain.”

“But why? Can’t you live without suffering?”

“Pain is a stimulus, and sensation itself. Pain that you can endure and accept doesn’t become real suffering. But what if you disregard those stimuli as mere pain and refuse to accept any sensation? What would happen then?”

“Um… I don’t really know.”

“Yeah, it might be a bit too hard for you right now. Let me simplify it for you… What would happen if you were in a situation where you couldn’t see anything, hear anything, or feel anything?”

Upon hearing my words, the Dragon Priestess thought for a moment and shook her head.

“I think I wouldn’t like that.”

“Yeah. That’s enough for now. Anyway, if you can’t feel pain, you won’t be able to feel any sensations either. And then, as you said, it would become unpleasant.”

“I’m not sure, but I think I kind of get it.”

Seeing the Dragon Priestess speak like that, I nodded. Yeah, that’s good enough.

“So, can’t we relieve some of that pain?”

“If you work hard, yes. If you heal others and relieve their suffering, and offer help, then you can lessen their pain.”

“But the one causing them pain is somewhere else, right? I heard it’s that Demon King causing them trouble.”

The Demon King.

The king of monsters.

A being that rules over beast-like monsters and now has many powerful subordinates… a demigod without a physical body.

The emergence of such a being has had an impact on the surroundings, and the most troubling aspect has been the overall strengthening of monsters.

If previously they were just ordinary creatures or plants that evolved by gaining magical power, now they were undergoing much stranger transformations.

Whether the Demon King’s magical power was acting on the monsters to cause these changes, or if they were evolving by devouring each other, or if someone else was intervening with their transformations…

I don’t know how it happened, but monsters have generally become stronger and more ferocious.

As a result, the common people are suffering, adventurers are suffering, knights are suffering, and overall, it has started to become quite the mess.

People were facing the threat of the Demon King, which had only been rumored until now, so they could feel it physically.

Thanks to this, the gods of the Divine Hall, who had been lazy, began to help their believers.

The gods granted strength to the believers and priests, helping them defend against the monsters.

Because of these gods, the overall situation was somewhat maintained.

I also mobilized pilgrims to instruct them to eliminate as many monsters as possible.

I even directed dragons who had strayed from the Church of Life to disguise themselves as humans and start culling monsters. In return, I allowed them to return to being priests of the Church of Life.

Thanks to that, the fame of the dragons disguised as adventurers was steadily increasing, but… let’s not get into that right now. That’s not the topic at hand.

Anyway, due to those monsters, the nations were on high alert, gathering all their power to focus on eradicating them, and adventurers, soldiers, and knights were all working to beat up these monsters.

Even so, the damages were steady.

The nonstop flow of people arriving at the temples of the Church of Life is one proof of that.

Many came with injuries caused by monsters, some were missing arms, while others barely managed to survive serious injuries.

“People are so pitiful.”

The emergence of the Demon King was causing suffering to many.

For these people… eliminating the Demon King as soon as possible should be the priority—

But that would be too trivial.

“Do you want to defeat the Demon King?”

“Yes. I think if the Demon King disappears, it would relieve the suffering of others.”

“But it’s not going to be easy, is it?”

“Even if it’s not easy, I want to try.”

Hmm. Looks like she’s made up her mind.

“First, let’s change your training regimen so you can use your power more skillfully. You’ve been able to control it to some extent, but you need more training to fight alongside others.”

The adventure of a hero to defeat the Demon King needs to happen as a party.

What’s interesting about a story where one person goes solo and takes everything down?

It’s way better to have many companions, overcome countless trials, and defeat strong foes as a condition for a good story.

So…

“From now on, let’s train not just in magic but also in other areas. It would be good for you to learn swordsmanship too.”

Until the hero is chosen, the Dragon Priestess would be carrying the hero’s sword.

She could wield it even if she wasn’t its master.

“Got it! So, I just need to work hard, and that means I can defeat the Demon King, right?”

“Of course, it would be tough for you alone. Let’s get stronger through consistent training and find companions to help you. Your enemies will be plentiful and strong. Even though you have great power as the Dragon Priestess, you can’t deal with everything by yourself.”

To be honest, she has more than enough strength to handle it.

But still… since this child’s essence is tied to the Demon King, the Demon King will desperately desire her.

So…

“Let’s get stronger. To save others.”

“Yeah. Let’s get stronger. I will!”

With innocent eyes, the girl—the Dragon Priestess—said that.

Looking into those eyes, I felt a slight twinge of guilt.

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

“Is the Demon King still without a physical body?”

“Yes. It seems like the Demon King’s subordinates have been trying all sorts of things, but nothing suitable for the Demon King’s body has come up yet.”

Asherat had been keeping an eye on the Demon King and updating me with the information she gathered.

The situation of the Demon King. The formation of the forces known as the Demon King’s army. The Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King… Four? Has another subordinate appeared?

“What are the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“It refers to the four closest to the Demon King.”

“Four? Not three?”

“Yes. It used to be three, but now one more has been added.”

I continued to review the information Asherat provided.

First, the Demon King—a powerful demigod without form. By instinct, it dominates over monsters and manifests its power with a monstrous presence.

Then beneath it, the Four Heavenly Kings, one of which is the Black Sage, or the Dark Sage—a wise old man wrapped in a black hood and cloak.

Ah. This guy… isn’t he the one who killed the Foolish Emperor? Didn’t look like a human at all! Turns out he wasn’t a person!

Apparently, he uses shadow magic and appears to have considerable intelligence, causing chaos to the territories around the Demon Castle through various strategies.

Well, there should be some smart ones around too. A mindless Demon Army would be boring.

Next was the gigantic fly, the strongest monster, who called itself Belzebub.

Isn’t that Zeus? After losing its divinity and falling, did it become a monster?

Well, let’s move past that for now.

Next up, the Necromancer, the one who claimed to be the ruler of death, the lich.

Let’s skip that. Ruler of death, my foot! Can’t even handle the energy of death and turned into a skull!

Finally, there’s the Knight of Darkness.

Using ancient dragon bones excavated from the Dragon’s Tomb, it was combined with strong skeletal structures made through necromancy, combined with the noble soul of the Emperor to infuse it with an exceptionally powerful darkness, ultimately being intertwined into the Demon King’s malevolent domain.

That… was the last member of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army.

“This… seems a bit suspicious.”

“Huh? What’s suspicious?”

“Uh, it’s just… um…”

Should I say this to Asherat? Or shouldn’t I? I’m not sure.

This Knight of Darkness… oddly reminds me of Erebus.

Of course, the Erebus I remember was a giant black dragon but…

I don’t know… um. I really don’t know.

If there really is a piece of Erebus in that Knight of Darkness… I’d love to barge in right now and pull it out, but…

That wouldn’t be right. Yeah. The story hasn’t even begun, so I can’t overturn it just yet.

So for now, let’s help the Dragon Priestess and keep an eye on things.

If the hero party gets active, they’ll take down that Knight of Darkness too.

Let’s wait until after that. After that.

 

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