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‘Me! This is too much! How dare you take control of my body!’

「What can I say? If I just left you two alone, it was clear you’d just get stuck and wouldn’t make any progress.」

You should have just acted a bit more exasperated! How could I, not even being involved, take over your body just to talk!

‘B-but….’

「I just cut in to speed up the conversation while you and that kid kept hesitating, so don’t be too mad. I was just trying to reduce the waste of time.」

‘…….’

The Dragon Priestess seemed quite dissatisfied that I had borrowed—no, taken over—her body to move the story along.

‘No matter how much you think of me as another self, just taking my body like that changes everything!’

「Then why didn’t you progress the story sooner? I was so frustrated I couldn’t help but take over before! And by the way, your mental resilience seems a bit lacking. It feels like you need to work on your mental defensive power.」

As for the soul… um, I don’t think I can do anything about that. But hey, the Gods and Talos, and even those without souls, are managing just fine, right?

If needed, I could just take out the Demon King’s soul, clean it up, and put it back in.

Of course, I don’t plan to do that myself!

「Anyway, it seems like you’re feeling somewhat motivated. Focus on training him.」

‘That’s obvious, but… um, shouldn’t we be worried about the Demon King’s forces? They must be quite threatening even now.’

「I’ll see what connections I can use for that.」

‘Connections, or rather divine connections, huh.’

「Either way.」

It’s not that the Gods can’t get directly involved, but if a little gap is created, there will be plenty of others stepping in.

「So, train him hard. Of course, time isn’t exactly on your side.」

‘Yeah. I’ll do my best.’

If I could, I’d create a mental and time room where time flows slower, but… well, that seems unnecessary right now.

Alright then, let’s buy some time until the Hero can pull his weight.

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

In a situation like this, I had more than a few cards I could play.

Those children who see me as their mother? They could turn the Demon King back into the Demon King the moment they show up. Excluded. That would just screw up the power balance.

The other Gods… for now, we’ve limited direct descent, but it’s perfectly fine to lend strength through their believers or priests. In fact, it’s encouraged.

Thanks to that, the Gods started helping their priests to aid others and worked on increasing their followers.

Oh, and those kids who call me mother have also been using their believers to hold off the Demon King’s forces.

The Elves excel at scouting and skirmishing with their outstanding archery and spirit magic.

The Dwarves create new weapons and armor, along with mana stone equipment to provide various support.

The Lizardmen safeguard rivers crucial for drinking water and logistics.

The Mermaids guide ships and provide food with various seafood from the sea.

Mages? They were already working hard, so let’s skip over them.

The Wanderer Judges, priests serving Shamash, the God of Light and Justice, were delivering physical guilty verdicts to monsters with their strength.

Additionally, various priests from other Gods were also working to aid people, and thanks to their efforts, the Demon King’s advancing forces began to halt a little.

And then there’s another card I can play—the Dragons.

Apart from working as pilgrims or priests in the Church of Life, it was quite simple to get some of the leisurely Dragons to do a bit of work.

Just ask them to take on some jobs, encourage them to enjoy life as humans, and even let them earn some recognition among dragons who’ve achieved a lot, allowing them to create nations or cities.

It’s no small matter that the fascinated Dragons, who lived such leisurely lives, were so delighted to hear this news.

Of course, given it’s just achievements as a mere human, they have their limits. But Dragons are excellent and will likely put in some serious effort.

After the tale of the Demon King wraps up, several countries or cities using the Dragon Crest will likely spring up, but that’s completely doable.

Oh, right. While we’re at it, let’s look for the Hero’s family. I may not have many clues, but still, I should at least give it a shot, right?

Other than that… um… I don’t think there’s anything urgent? The Hero is secured, and there’s not much I have to do directly…

Honestly, nothing comes to mind! Awesome!

Now, it seems I can just take it easy, giving various orders and letting time pass.

Well, if a problem arises, I’ll figure it out then. For now, let’s keep an eye on the overall situation.

The sight of humanity fighting against the formidable foe that is the Demon King.

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

Time flies quickly.

Half a year has passed since the Dragon Priestess picked up the boy who would become the Hero.

That’s quite a long time in a human’s lifespan, but for me, it’s just a blink of an eye.

In such elapsed time, the world hasn’t changed much.

The Demon King’s forces continue to surge south from who knows where, and in opposition, humans are resisting fiercely.

Sometimes, beast-like monsters swarm, at other times, armies of goblins crash like waves, and sometimes there’s the undead army pushing forward, blaming the living.

In the face of the powerful army of monsters, days continue as walls are raised, traps are set, and the Dwarves’ new weapons are mobilized to repel them.

There are cities that have been pushed back significantly, and many have been reclaimed thanks to the efforts of many, but overall situations remain a cycle of maintenance. Nothing is getting better nor worse.

In such a scenario, the Hero, humanity’s secret weapon, stands…

“Haah, haa…”

Holding a wooden sword shaped like a greatsword, he aims at the opponent before him.

“The size of the greatsword is both an advantage and a disadvantage. While each strike has great power, movement can be slow, and it’s easy for it to become simplistic. So you really need to focus when swinging it. Well, the Hero’s sword is lighter relative to its size, so you can swing it pretty fast.”

A girl, the Dragon Priestess, mimicking the same stance, holding a wooden sword identical to the one held by the Hero.

She was teaching the Hero while wielding a big wooden sword instead of the usual staff.

“Be cautious while wielding the greatsword, but if you’ve made up your mind to swing it, be ready to finish with one strike. Put all your might behind it.”

With that, the Dragon Priestess lunged at the Hero, bringing her wooden sword down, and the Hero hurriedly lifted his greatsword to block the Dragon Priestess’s strike.

BANG!

It was hard to believe the sound was from wood colliding with wood, a tremendous noise and impact.

The Hero endured the throbbing pain in his hand as he looked at the Dragon Priestess.

How could such power come from that small frame? Is this what being chosen by the Goddess of Life means in terms of strength?

Even though the Hero, Eric, has become stronger over the past six months, more than most Adventurers or Knights…

Eric still felt the overwhelming disparity as he faced the Dragon Priestess and gritted his teeth, swinging the greatsword.

KAAANG!

The pair of wooden swords made from wood as tough as iron collided, leaving distinct marks.

It looked as though they were equally matched without either breaking. But the Hero knew well.

The Dragon Priestess was maintaining balance through meticulous control of her strength to train him.

If she meant to take him down, she could easily do so in an instant.

But…

“Wonderful! Keep that momentum! Hesitation will only dull the blade!”

“Haah!”

The Dragon Priestess showed no signs of that. She was just working hard to make the Hero strong.

After several exchanges, with the previously undamaged wooden swords now bearing numerous marks, their sparring finally came to an end.

“Alright. Let’s call it a day. Evening worship time is approaching.”

“I’ll train a bit longer.”

“Oh? Well… don’t overdo it. Don’t get injured again by pushing too hard like last time without thinking about your body.”

At the Dragon Priestess’s words, Eric nodded slightly in response, hiding his true feelings deep inside.

The Dragon Priestess was strong, but he was not.

If he was the Hero chosen by her, he needed to have the strength that matched her.

So, Eric didn’t stop working hard, and his endless effort warranted praise.

Of course, the Dragon Priestess knew well what thoughts filled Eric’s mind during training.

And thus…

“Alright. As usual, I’ll leave you with the Golem that can act as your training partner. Having someone to adjust your training state will help you not overdo it.”

With that, the Dragon Priestess struck the ground twice with the end of her staff, and at the same moment, a mound of dirt rose from the ground, transforming into a human-like form.

“Alright. Galatea. Please take good care of Eric.”

Then the Golem, named Galatea, nodded slightly, turning to Eric and raising its two fists.

“Phew… Thanks as always, Dragon Priestess.”

“Stop it with that. I’ve told you my name, yet you still keep calling me Dragon Priestess. I have a name too.”

“B-but calling you by your name feels a bit disrespectful…”

“But no one calls me by my name! Everyone just reverently repeats ‘Dragon Priestess’! The Hero would feel the same way if he was only called ‘Hero’ instead of Eric!!”

The Dragon Priestess shouted, her stubbornness apparent. Seeing her like this, Eric scratched his head, feeling he had no choice but to capitulate.

“Then… ahem.”

Clearing his throat to gather his thoughts.

“Alice.”

A singular name slipped out in a small voice.

But upon hearing that name, the Dragon Priestess smiled broadly, clearly pleased.

 

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