"What is a hero?"

The man wearing a black hood pulled over his head spoke in a calm voice.

"A blade that protects life. A guardian of civilization. A sword that cuts down evil. A demon king slayer."

The man uttered each word in a voice devoid of emotion. Behind that man's voice, stained in complete blackness, lingered a faint trace of feeling.

"Various lauded titles, but in this age their meaning has become distorted into mere killers."

Contempt.

He held contempt for the heroes praised by all.

"From the first nameless hero of ancient times, the heroes of old were ones worthy of such praise, but not anymore. Look at this age. Witness this tragedy."

Scattered around the man were numerous corpses.

People killed in various ways.

The remains of false heroes who had called themselves heroes.

"If it were still the age when gods chose heroes, this issue wouldn't exist... But now it is an age with many foolish imposters posing as heroes."

After kicking aside the head of a fake hero at his feet, the man spoke.

The grotesquely severed head had an expression that seemed to not understand its own death.

"Trash belongs in the trash bin, so even if I must dirty my own hands, I will dispose of the trash defiling this world."

The man growled as he drew the sword at his waist.

"So I ask you, are you also fake heroes posing as real ones like this trash?"

- Excerpt from the novel 'Hero Hunter'

It is said the novel was inspired by a mass murder incident that occurred years before its publication, but the veracity of that incident itself is unclear.

However, thanks to the societal outrage at the time towards those falsely claiming to be heroes, this novel was able to avoid any major backlash.

---------------------

Sitting at the table, I spoke to the young boy nibbling on a cookie with his small mouth.

"There, you seem to have calmed down now."

"Ah, yes. I feel calmer now."

An ordinary-looking young boy with brown hair that could be seen anywhere. His appearance lacked any distinctive features, making it seem like his face would be difficult to clearly remember at a glance.

A feeling like...air, I suppose. On top of that, he had a curiously faint presence.

Feels like a talent optimized for infiltration.

"So will you tell me your name?"

"My name?"

The boy hesitated for a moment at my words before carefully replying.

"I don't have one. I don't have a name."

Hm? No name?

Huh. Did your parents not give you a name?

"You have no name, you mean your father didn't give you one?"

"I don't have a father." 

"Ah, then your mother?"

"No mother either. I've been an orphan since I was little."

Ugh! My condolences...!

"I...I see. My apologies."

"No, it's alright. I'm used to it now."

For a child who looks no more than 10 years old, frail and bony, to be used to having no parents is lamentable.

I cleared my throat with a small cough before speaking to the boy again.

"Well then, since you're the first hero, let's just call you 'Hero.' It doesn't seem right for me to name you."

If his parents didn't name him, he should name himself.

Rather than an outsider like me naming him.

"It's just a title, but as long as you live and don't abandon being a hero, you'll be the only hero. So the title 'Hero' will essentially mean you. It should be fine to call you by that title."

"Hero...but what is a hero?"

Hm? Oh...should I start with that? I did explain it when I gave the prophecy.

I briefly said, "A hero is a protector."

"A protector?"

"Yes, a protector. One chosen by the Goddess of Life to protect life from monsters."

Humans and sub-races could hunt down minor monsters on their own, but monsters tainted by fragments of darkness were too much for humans to handle easily.

Even if they could defeat them, it would come at a heavy cost of lives.

Elves, dwarves, lizardmen, and giants could take them down without too much trouble...but humans and demi-humans were just too frail, unfortunately.

"Protect life...from monsters..."

The boy repeated my words, mulling them over. A child that small becoming an orphan was likely due to losing his parents.

And the most likely cause would have been monsters.

In a way, I may be trying to use that boy's desire for revenge and treat him like a tool.

Really, I'm quite despicable myself.

"Can I...do it?"

"It's up to you whether you can or not."

I looked at the boy.

The boy whose hands were trem faintly. The boy who lacked confidence and was extremely timid.

Let me give a word of encouragement to such a boy.

"But if you want to do it, you can certainly do it."

"If I want to..."

"If you need strength, I'll give you strength. If you want to learn how to wield a sword, I'll teach you. Providing you with whatever you need is my role in guiding a hero."

I said to the boy.

"Of course, it won't be easy. There may be moments when your life is in danger. There may be times when you want to give up everything because it's too difficult. But if you don't give up until the end, you can become someone inscribed in history."

Then the boy's trembling hands slowly stopped.

"Hero. Will you do it?"

The boy seemed to think deeply about something, then nodded slightly and opened his mouth.

"I'll try. It's a little scary but...I'll give it a try. So that there are no more children living without even knowing their parents' faces, like me, in order to protect others."

Un. Yes. That's right.

I just gave a small smile at the sight of such a boy.

---------------------

"By the way, I'm curious about something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

The boy looked at me, more precisely at my horns, with eyes full of curiosity and asked.

"What are those horns? As far as I know, female beastkin don't have horns."

Hmm? Was that the case? Weren't there cases where female animals like cows also had horns? Or are beastkin a bit different? I'm not too sure.

Let me make an excuse for now. What kind of excuse should I give...?

Ah, that's right.

"These horns are completely different from beastkin horns. To begin with, I'm not even a beastkin."

"Not a beastkin...Could you be a dragon from the legends?"

Ugh! He hit the bullseye!!

No, no. Let me take advantage of this. Since we won't be together for more than a day or two anyway. If I use this to make him think I'm a special being, it will be useful in many ways.

Besides, as the proxy of the great Goddess of Life, wouldn't it seem a bit lacking if I were just an ordinary beastkin?

"To be precise, I am a being created by infusing the power and vitality of a creature called a dragon into a human body. This body was handcrafted by the Goddess of Life herself. Thanks to that, dragon horns grew on my head."

To be exact, I am the Goddess of Life herself, also known as the Creator Dragon God! But such trivial information is unnecessary for this child.

"The power of a dragon...Amazing..."

"Yes, it's amazing."

"Then...um...what should I call you?"

"Hmm? Me?"

"Yes. I can be called by the title 'Hero', but you...you're not my older sister, are you?"

...Older sister?

I paused for a moment at the unfamiliar title. Older sister? Older sister...

"Ah! Tha-That's, I'm sorry! was told to always call an older woman 'older sister'..."

"Un. It's not a big deal. But only call me that when we're alone. If you call me 'older sister' in front of others, it could be troublesome."

Really, to be called an older sister in my life. I've been called a mother before, but never an older sister.

Wait, isn't being called a mother even more shocking? Why was I more shocked by being called an older sister than a mother?

"Then I'll call you older sister. But what should I call you in front of others?"

"Hmm. In front of others..."

The proxy of the Goddess of Life? It's strangely long to call me by that name, and the word 'of' is repeated twice. Inconvenient.

Then if I remove 'of Life', the Goddess' proxy? Calling me the proxy somehow feels a bit distant, not great. Is there a better word?

Since I'm a woman directly sent down by the god... A saint? No, not a saint. A saint is...

If I'm called a saint, it somehow feels like I'll be a heroine who gets pursued, and in the final moment sacrifices herself to save her comrades while leaving behind regrets, exhaustion, and obsession, doesn't it? I don't want to become a heroine. Rather, I feel more like a dark force giving power to the hero and using him!

Hmm. Anyway, I'm not a saint! Not a saint!

Then... A shrine maiden? A shrine maiden, that's it. A shrine maiden...

Shaman sounds good? Since the belief in gods is still at a primitive level, it would be fitting to be called a shrine maiden to match that.

And I'll add a distinctive characteristic since I have the power of a dragon - the Dragon Shaman. Yeah, that's good.

"In front of others, call me the Dragon's Priestess. That seems appropriate." 

"Yes, I understand...older sister."

Older sister... Older sister doesn't feel too bad.

And so I ended up staying with the child who would become the future hero in a hidden room of the Temple of Life.

......

Oh, by the way, I found out later that there are actually some female beastkin who do have horns.

Well, it doesn't really matter now anyway!