The hero looked at the young girl playing outside with a worried expression.

The girl with hair dyed the same silver as mine.

The girl whose life I saved with my power, and who is now beginning to transform into a non-human being.

"Hero, what do you think about this?"

"We can't just leave her like that. But how long will you keep calling me 'hero'? It's been years since I quit being a hero."

"Hmm. Your name just doesn't seem to stick in my mouth easily. And as long as you're alive, you'll always be 'hero' to me."

"But my newly given name is now useless. And since you keep calling me 'hero', even my daughter calls me that."

"At least you can talk about your exploits thanks to that."

"That's true, but..."

The hero sighed softly and said,

"You really haven't changed at all, have you, sister?"

"But you have changed a lot."

The hero was now in his mid-50s, starting to approach old age. But his outward appearance still looked to be in his late 30s.

Of course, the hero's wife was the same way.

"The one who used to call me 'sis' now addresses me so formally as 'sister'. There used to be a certain charm to it, but now it's gone. Ah..."

"What can I do? People change as they grow."

The hero looked back at his daughter playing outside.

"With so much changing, I too have no choice but to change."

The expression on the hero's face had become that of a father.

A face filled with something incredibly precious, unlike the one he had when he was defeating monsters for humanity.

A face that could not be seen before.

"Whenever I look at my daughter, I no longer regret getting married."

"You've really changed a lot, haven't you."

I simply smiled softly as I watched the hero.

"Anyway, about my daughter... what should we do?"

"Hmm. I have a couple of ideas, but first let me make one thing clear - I cannot remove my magic from her."

"Is that so?"

"Of course, if I didn't care about her life, it would be possible. But I have no desire for that."

The vast amount of my magic is intertwined with the countless cells in her body.

If I forcibly tried to retrieve my magic, how long could she possibly last?

Likely not even a day. Forcibly taking back my magic would leave her body riddled with tiny holes like a sponge.

My original plan was to have my magic substitute for her life force until it was sufficiently activated, then gradually retrieve the magic while regenerating her body.

But it seems the compatibility between my magic and her was too good - my magic and her body have fused at the cellular level.

It might be possible to painstakingly separate the magic permeating every cell, but that would likely take over a century.

The cause... Hmm, I'm not sure, but it may be related to the parents of this child.

The hero who wielded the sword I created and traveled with me, and the hero's wife whose body was regenerated by my magic, maintaining her youth.

Their child seems to be anything but ordinary.

Perhaps the premature birth is also connected to this...

I don't really know for sure. After all, I don't know everything in this world.

In any case.

"The first option is to thoroughly teach her how to use my magic to protect herself."

Honestly, I think this is the easiest solution.

If not for the concern of her becoming an existence beyond human...

"But that's a bit..."

If the hero, the strongest human, is her father, then he would know all too well the dangers of wielding immense power.

There were far too many with snake-like hearts who sought to use the hero's strength and reputation for their own ends.

"Personally, I think that is the easiest solution."

"But wouldn't that give the child power beyond human capabilities?"

"Yes, that's right. Her lifespan would also be much longer than a normal human's."

Her body would become almost like an extension of mine. She could easily live for a thousand years.

Even now, if not for the lack of horns, the rest of her appearance is very similar to mine.

No wonder the occasional travelers who come by mistake us for sisters.

"In a way, it may be the best path for the child. She would have great power and be able to live for a long time."

However, the question is whether her mind could withstand such immense power.

"That's true. From the perspective of someone who has wielded great power, that decision needs to be made very carefully."

"Un, the opinion of an experienced person, as expected."

"Well, I didn't have any other choice, after all."

Once he had drawn the hero's sword, other options disappeared.

"Still, most important thing would be the child's own opinion..."

"But she is still too young to make such an important decision."

"Hmm... then let's move on to the second option."

"The second option?"

I nodded slightly and continued.

"The second option is to seal the magical power within her body."

"Seal it?"

"Yes. If we seal the magical power so that it doesn't activate, the child could live as a normal human. I'm not sure if her hair color would revert to normal, but that could probably be managed with dye."

If the child wishes to live a normal life, sealing the magical power would allow that.

"Sealing it... is that possible?"

"Un. Since it's my magic, sealing it so it doesn't activate properly is relatively simple."

The difficult part is separating the intertwined elements, but just suppressing it completely so she can live like a normal human cell is doable.

However.

"But there are still some issues. The sealed magic is still a part of her body, her cells. So there's a possibility it could be inherited by her future offspring."

It would gradually become weaker over generations, but...

"So, that would be passing on the burden to her descendants?"

"Well, as long as nothing major happens, the magic shouldn't awaken. Based on my calculations... unless she suffers a major shock or life-threatening injury, it's unlikely to activate."

The hero nodded slightly at my words.

"I see. Personally, I'm leaning more towards the sealing option..."

"You want to hear the child's opinion, don't you?"

"Yes. Not now, but when she's old enough, in a few years, to make the decision herself."

In a few years, around when she becomes an adult.

"Then it might be best to start with sealing it for now."

Seal it first, and if she wants the power later, we can unseal it. If not, we'll keep it sealed.

"If my daughter chooses to seal the magic, then I'll be passing the burden on to her descendants. It doesn't sit well with me, even if it's for her sake."

"Well, the sealed magic shouldn't awaken under normal circumstances. And if it does awaken in a life-threatening situation, it could end up saving your descendants as well."

"But still..."

Ugh, this guy. He's gotten so soft-hearted after retiring from being a hero!

"Then let me help you a little."

"You, sister?"

I nodded.

"If the dormant magic in your descendants awakens, they'll surely be in grave danger. And if a human wielding my power is left unchecked, they could pose a threat to humanity."

"If you help, I can rest assured, but how exactly will you assist?"

"Hmm..."

I thought for a moment before speaking.

"Since she'll be carrying my magic, there will be a connection between us. So after it awakens, I'll use her body to lend a hand to your descendants."

"Use her body?"

"By utilizing the connection between your descendant and me, I'll be able to wield her body as if it were my own. I can save your descendants and teach them how to properly use the power."

The hero thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Is that possible? For you, sister, and my descendants to control one body?"

"I can already control multiple bodies, so how could it be impossible for us to control one body together?"

It would be a kind of multiple personality. There might be some conflict over who has the dominant control.

Well, if such a situation arises, as long as there are no major problems, I plan to mostly hand it over to your descendants.

I'm already busy enough playing the role with this one body.

"Well, that's only if your daughter chooses to seal the power. If she decides not to seal it, then this plan would be meaningless."

I looked at the hero's daughter playing outside.

The small silver-haired girl running into the arms of her returning mother.

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

"No! I'm telling you, the first hero's companion was definitely the Dragon's Priestess!!"

"What? Where did you hear that nonsense? The records clearly state that the first hero's companion was a different woman, not the Dragon's Priestess! There are even testimonies from those who attended the wedding at the time!"

"Ugh, really?! Then why does the hero's daughter look exactly like the Dragon's Priestess?"

"Perhaps the Dragon's Priestess blessed the hero's daughter?"

"Just because of a blessing, her appearance would change to match the Priestess? Then everyone blessed by the gods in the Pantheon would look like their statues!"

"Then why was the other woman recorded as the hero's companion?"

"The Temple of Life must have had a stance on this! They would have seen it as blasphemous for the holy Dragon's Priestess to marry the hero!"

"Enough! I will not hear any more of this! You know well the consequences of offending the Temple of Life, yet you dare speak such nonsense!"

- A conversation between a historian and the student.

  No one else heard their discussion.