EP.8
Hero.
One day, as the demon realm emerged into the human world, humans were born at the same time. To be precise, they were beings bearing the marks of the Goddess.
They weren’t specifically limited to just humans.
Elves, dwarves, beastmen.
Among numerous races, only a very small number of individuals received the Goddess’s mark and became heroes.
They possessed various characteristics, but the most important one was their potential to transcend the limitations of their races.
To be precise, all limitations inherent in their species would be shattered.
Even with training, there are limits.
No matter how hard a human tries, they cannot live without breathing.
But a hero can.
Of course, it isn’t an easy task.
But if one endures the trials that constantly challenge them and seek to break themselves, they become stronger and more resilient than steel forged by a blacksmith’s hammer.
In addition to that, the marks bestowed by the Goddess had unique characteristics.
These traits were determined by the individual’s nature and could be seen as representative attributes of a hero.
In that sense,
Noble Hero,
Asgard was immensely satisfied with his title.
Noble, indeed.
Doesn’t it resemble the noble hero saving everyone in legends?
For Asgard, who had dreamed of becoming a hero to protect everyone since childhood, the title of Noble Hero felt like a dream come true.
Thus, he strived with every moment.
He infiltrated a village consumed by an abomination, saving everyone over the course of a month and slaying the beast, purifying lands tainted by demons, and reclaiming lost territories.
Everyone praised him.
However, he could not become the strongest.
There were far too many legendary heroes of antiquity, and unlike them, he chose not to form a party.
The reason he did not form a party was simple.
He didn’t want to lose precious people any longer.
That’s why he always traveled alone.
Though some called him the Solitary Hero, he didn’t care much for it.
In fact, he found it preferable.
The title of solitude became a barrier that prevented others from approaching him.
He rejected all love calls that came his way.
In some kingdoms, they offered their daughters to persuade him to join them, but he declined as well.
He was afraid of having someone precious in his life.
Even if called a coward, he had no retort.
He was trapped by the trauma of his past, constantly haunted by the compulsion to save someone.
That was why.
He turned down every love call that was offered.
Being affiliated with someone meant that he could not save those whose lives he could not reach.
He was a wandering adventurer.
As such, he traveled the world, rescuing those in distress.
He didn’t need compensation.
As long as he received a grateful smile from those he helped and saw a village revitalized once more, that was enough.
With that warm sentiment, he could once again raise his sword.
Thus, he roamed the world for several years.
This time, his journey brought him to one of the mountains of the Otherworldly Realm, where demons endlessly appeared.
Strangely, it was a mountain devoid of demons.
Hence, Asgard viewed this with suspicion. A mountain that typically thrived with demons having such a low number meant that a powerful abomination must have been born.
Thus, he ascended the mountain.
And the moment he discovered a cave that looked suspicious to anyone, his instincts screamed loudly.
EP.8
Don’t go in there.
It was certain that if he did, he would die.
Every nerve in his body seemed to stand on end. Therefore, he attempted to turn away. It was highly unlikely that there was anyone he needed to save in such a mountain, and moreover, he was not a foolish human willing to gamble with his life.
“Wow! These fruits….”
Until he heard the voice of a woman from within the cave.
He paused his retreating steps.
To be honest, he was still afraid.
This sense was entirely new to him.
His muscles froze.
He was on guard against the monsters that might be lurking in the cave.
But,
“…If there’s someone I need to save…”
I will not back down.
He moved forward.
And what he faced was an abomination that appeared endlessly cruel and savage, alongside a woman who was as beautiful as a flower.
“Ah, a person?”
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have misinterpreted it.
It felt incredibly tranquil and mild.
However,
[……. ]
The moment he saw the abomination looking at him in silence, the ringing in his head became deafening, and Asgard lost his reason. What came to his mind was the day he became a hero, the root cause of all his losses.
A dragon.
It bore a striking resemblance to it.
As! Just run away…!
You are my only hope; live on.
Don’t look back! Just run away!
Memories of the past flooded back.
A village engulfed in flames, the dragon that burned it all while laughing.
And… the horrific scene of everyone shouting to survive as they burned.
At that moment, Asgard lost his reason and dashed out.
His movements were grand and flashy.
He tried to catch the dragon’s attention as much as possible.
To give even a slight chance for the woman to escape, he stood before her with exaggerated motions and looked up at the dragon.
A tremendous power stirred within him.
His aura and the divinity bestowed by the Goddess wriggled through his muscles.
“A dragon that devours kingdoms! This hero, Asgard, has come to exterminate you!”
He raised his sword.
His characteristic was nobility.
A mark that dealt devastating damage to all that was impure.
No demon beast could escape harm from this characteristic. Not even if it were a dragon. Moreover, this mark grew stronger the larger the disparity, and the more resolute his heart to protect someone became.
Swish—!
A blue aura wrapped around the sword.
He swung his sword as grandly and flamboyantly as possible to obscure its view.
Crash—!!
A single slash that could shatter the cave and cut through everything.
The blue aura collided with the creature, creating a massive cloud of dust.
‘This is the moment!’
Asgard grabbed the woman’s hand.
And he began to run away with all his might.
“Ak?! What is this…?”
“It’s okay! I will definitely save you.”
Thus began the misunderstanding, the origin of which he had no idea about.
* * *
[……. ]
Jörmungandr stared blankly at the spot where the hero had vanished.
EP.9
He didn’t fully understand the situation, but he had a rough idea.
He must be a hero.
And he had probably jumped into danger to save the woman who was with a giant serpent.
That bravery is to be highly praised.
Even though he mistook it for a dragon, he dared to confront it.
To be honest, he didn’t care much about it.
He could see the essence of living beings.
The essence of the hero, as he observed, was remarkably noble and strong.
At least he wouldn’t harm her.
However…
[How unpleasant.]
He was already fed up with such misconceptions.
It wasn’t that he felt anger toward the hero, but it could be said that he felt a bit annoyed.
After all, this hero had suddenly appeared before him with a toothpick, wrecking his precious sanctuary.
And to be frank,
He thought that this situation was becoming somewhat interesting.
It had been thousands of years since someone had directly approached him like this, except for one person from long ago.
Perhaps he would tease him a little.
He decided to play along with the exciting performance of the hero.
Such amusement was what he had long desired.
He was not one to be easily swayed by various emotions. As proof, his displeasure quickly transformed into the pure joy of mingling with a human again after so long.
Jörmungandr, not typically one to smile, curled the corners of his mouth upward.
He flicked his tongue.
And then he began to slowly move his enormous form.
His body flowed smoothly.
With each movement, he grew larger and larger.
But he didn’t make himself too enormous.
If he did, the mountain would collapse completely.
Hmm, yes.
Approximately ten times his current size should suffice.
Feeling his enlarged perspective, Jörmungandr watched the hero who was desperately fleeing.
Did the hero feel that gaze?
As he sensed the hero turn his head to look up at him blankly, Jörmungandr opened his mouth.
* * *
“Let go of me!”
“Calm down! We haven’t escaped the dragon yet!”
The hero, clutching the woman’s hand, quickened his pace.
Yes.
Dragons were masters of magic.
So it was entirely possible that such simple brainwashing magic could be cast.
Then the woman’s resistance became understandable.
A human brainwashed by a dragon cannot think for themselves until the spell is broken.
This had been the case with the dragon he encountered before as well.
The memory of it enchanting his childhood friend to lure him in caused him to bite his lip.
Just as they were fleeing.
He thought the sun had been obscured by clouds.
The once brightly lit surroundings instantly turned to darkness.
But that wasn’t it.
It wasn’t merely that the sun was covered; only the area within a one-kilometer radius was shrouded in shadow.
Feeling something amiss, he looked up.
And what he faced was.
“…Ah.”
A gigantic dragon filled the sky, looking down on him with disdain.
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