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Thus, the hero and the Dragon Priestess defeated the Demon King who had thrown the world into chaos.

However, the peace they gained was not given freely.

As the Dragon Priestess took up the hero’s sword in place of the immobilized hero and ended the Demon King’s life, a deep curse filled with the Demon King’s resentment enveloped the Dragon Priestess.

The vicious curse spewed forth at the moment of the powerful Demon King’s death was too strong for even the Dragon Priestess, wielding formidable magical power, to fully withstand.

Yet, the Goddess of Life used the hero’s sword to protect her, sealing it within her body, thus preserving her physical form, but her spirit was inevitably fractured.

The hero could only shed tears for the sacrifice of the Dragon Priestess who stood in for him.

To the hero, the Goddess of Life appeared in the form of the Dragon Priestess and revealed the only way to save her.

This method involved gaining recognition from the six Ancient Gods who stood at the pinnacle among the deities, a means unimaginable for an ordinary human.

The hero decided to challenge the nearly impossible task for the sake of the Dragon Priestess.

The Goddess of Life, appreciating the hero’s determination, granted the Dragon Priestess a small boon, allowing her consciousness to partially return, but she could not regain the power that summoned storms and tore the sky apart.

Thus, the weakened Dragon Priestess and the hero, now unable to wield the hero’s sword, set off on an adventure to gain the recognition of the Ancient Gods.

– The Adventures of Hero Eric.

—

My magical power either gets absorbed by Alice or absorbs her, but I had to set aside the question of why the power of creation doesn’t do the same…

Upon reflection, this ability isn’t originally mine but one bestowed by another being. It makes sense.

Well, thanks to that, I’ve been able to help Alice a little. Let’s just roll with it.

Anyway, after revealing to the hero how to assist Alice, I connected to her consciousness and gently roused her.

Of course, due to the struggle for her body against the Demon King, I could only bring forth a tiny bit of consciousness.

When compared to her former consciousness, it was like 0.1 percent…? No, it was even weaker than that, but it was enough for her to express her will to some degree.

One problem was that her consciousness was so weak that she couldn’t move her body directly, requiring my consciousness to act as a middleman… Well, if it weren’t for this method, Alice wouldn’t have been able to move her body by her own will either.

The struggle against the Demon King for her body was that fierce. It couldn’t be helped.

Anyway.

“Are you really okay? I can do everything for you,” I said.

‘No, this is something I must do. I’ve already received enough help.’

Alice’s will was resolute. Even while fighting the Demon King within her, she acted as if her body belonged solely to her.

Given that she was currently contesting for her body against the Demon King, she might be even more sensitive to that aspect.

Despite knowing that I had no desire to take her body for myself, she remained stubborn.

‘I’m well aware of the significance of your help. If you hadn’t assisted me, I wouldn’t even be able to move my body properly.’

“Are you aware of that?”

‘Since I can move my body indirectly, I can’t deny it. Thank you for always helping me.’

“If you’re grateful, then hurry up and defeat the Demon King and come out. I can’t keep moving your body indefinitely. Even if it looks that way, I’m busy, you know?”

‘You’ve always been by my side for all that busy talk, though.’

“That’s because you’re the Dragon Priestess who embodies my will. Anyway!”

Well, if she hadn’t been the Dragon Priestess, we wouldn’t have to face such a dangerous situation.

“If we received the blessings of the other children, we could suppress the Demon King’s power. If we are blessed by all six children, we could chase away the Demon King in no time.”

‘Did you tell Eric that too?’

“Yeah. Of course, my children won’t bestow blessings for free.”

Of course, if I were to ask, they’d oblige immediately… but that wouldn’t make for a proper story, right?

A bit of hardship and adversity is what makes a story interesting.

‘But… could the current me and Eric, who’s lost the hero’s sword, really do it?’

“To be honest, it would be a bit difficult.”

Outwardly, the Demon King was defeated by the hero and the Dragon Priestess.

However… those who were akin to the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army likely instinctively felt it.

That the Demon King had not disappeared.

They would come before Alice, drawn by the remnants of the Demon King’s power that had dominated them.

Even if he didn’t show up directly, he would likely send remnants of his army to disrupt them.

If possible, they would attempt to recover the Demon King… no, they would strive to seize the body of the Dragon Priestess, using an empowered Demon King to once again rule the world.

For the current weakened Alice and Eric, who had lost the hero’s sword, it would be a perilous adventure.

Therefore…

“Sometimes, seek help from others.”

‘Others?’

“Yeah. While it was advantageous for you and Eric to go alone when hunting the Demon King, that’s not the case now.”

In other words… a hero’s party, so to speak.

—

“Alice! Are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

Alice replied briefly to Eric’s question.

The majority of her consciousness had been restricted during her struggle for her body against the Demon King, so she could only move her body with a tiny portion of her consciousness.

And that could only be done indirectly one level removed.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m… weakened. My speech… isn’t… fluid…”

Alice spoke those words and took a small breath.

“Still, I can do it.”

Alice was solidifying her resolve.

“I can’t use powerful magic like before, but… it’s okay…”

Alice conjured a faint light of magical power in her palm before extinguishing it.

Though this small light was too weak to be sustained, the look in her eyes was that of someone who refused to give up.

“With the power of Sephiroth, I can barely manage like a single mage, but… if I can just deal with the Demon King, everything else will be resolved…!”

—

Thus, Alice and Eric set off on their adventure.

Not an adventure to defeat the Demon King wreaking havoc in the world, but to drive out the Demon King that was encroaching on Alice’s very being, and to restore her to her former self.

Hiding their true identities, the two quietly left the main headquarters of the Church of Life.

Their first destination was the capital of South Romania: Semerium.

“By the way… is going to Semerium the right choice?”

At Eric’s words, Alice tilted her head silently.

“No, the six Ancient Gods we need to meet and gain recognition from are there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Two of them are the gods of Elves and Dwarfs.”

“That’s right.”

“And two are the gods of the Wind and the Sea.”

Alice nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“One is the Sacred Flame in that sweltering desert, and the other is… the God of Light and Justice… but if we go to South Romania, the only one we can meet is the Sacred Flame in that desert…”

The gods of Elves and Dwarfs resided around North Romania, and while the god of Wind didn’t have a designated temple, it would be possible to learn of them somehow if they went to the Jo-in village.

The Sea God, on the other hand, was somewhere in the far sea, and without the guidance of a mermaid, it would be impossible to find him—no need to consider him.

The temple of the God of Light and Justice… while major cities each have one, most of those temples are used for training priests or wandering judges. There hadn’t been any divine revelations thus far.

Ultimately, even if they went to the capital of South Romania… the only clear location was that of the Sacred Flame, said to be in the southern part of Procyon, in the sweltering desert.

“Why don’t we look for the gods of Elves or Dwarfs instead?”

Alice shook her head slightly at that remark.

“I can’t just go straight to the Ancient Gods.”

“Why not? Wouldn’t it be better to meet them sooner and gain their blessings?”

“Too hasty.”

“Too hasty?”

“Yeah. Preparation, thoroughly.”

At Alice’s words, Eric pondered for a moment.

“That seems to mean that just meeting the Ancient Gods doesn’t guarantee we can receive their blessings. Is that true?”

“Yeah. We will have to take a test.”

The Ancient Gods’ trials. Just hearing that made Eric feel a little tense.

Who are the Ancient Gods? They are the oldest and most powerful of the gods, after all.

Their influence is beyond words.

If it’s their trial… it surely wouldn’t be a simple test.

“And we also need to prepare for the remnants of the Demon King’s army.”

“The Demon King’s army…”

For sure, the Demon King had been defeated, yet he somehow thought everything would be over once the Demon King fell.

Not yet, it’s not over.

The Demon King was still coveting Alice’s body, waiting for the opportunity to seize it, and remnants of the Demon King’s army, including the Four Heavenly Kings, were lurking to find a chance to resurrect him.

“So we need companions.”

“Companions?”

“Yeah. Reliable companions.”

Companions.

For Eric, who had tackled the Demon King alongside Alice, having companions other than her felt rather strange.

However, without Alice’s enhancement magic or the hero’s sword, Eric had no choice but to seek others.

And so, the two headed for Semerium, the capital of South Romania.

Thanks to the minimal impact of the war, it was the most prosperous city.

 

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