Progenitor-san arrived, carrying a square box in both hands.
The box contained nothing but a single small bell. Since it was fixed to the inside of the frame, I assumed it was meant to be used as is. Before I could even ask what it was, Progenitor-san pointed the box toward me.
……
?
Nothing happened.
Progenitor-san let out a breath and offered a relieved smile.
The reaction finally came when the residents of Village One arrived, hauling seasonings and supplies destined for Big Roof Shashaato. The small bell inside the box began to ring.
It was loud. Obnoxiously so.
Apparently, it was too much for Progenitor-san as well, because he promptly hurled the box to the ground and smashed it. Is that really okay? Well, he looked quite refreshed afterward, so I suppose it was. A High Ogre Maid scolded him for making a mess, and he apologized sheepishly.
What was that all about?
Raimeiren, who was standing beside me, held a similar box. She pointed it at me, but again, there was no reaction. However, as soon as the residents of Village One passed by, her bell began to chime incessantly.
……
Just like Progenitor-san, Raimeiren threw her box to the ground and destroyed it. Then she and Progenitor-san looked at each other and shared a firm handshake.
I had no idea what was going on, but the High Ogre Maid was now scolding Raimeiren for littering as well.
"I have a report. It isn't good," Progenitor-san began once he was settled into a chair in the guest room.
Giral and Raimeiren were there to listen alongside me.
"A Hero has appeared."
A Hero?
I remembered them being a topic of conversation a while back. I’d heard that they used to be able to resurrect after death, but suddenly lost that ability and stopped their activities. Did this mean they could resurrect again? Or had they simply decided to get back to work despite the risk?
"No, that's not it. To differentiate them, I will reluctantly refer to the Heroes who could resurrect until recently as 'Church Heroes.' Those Church Heroes have completely lost their power and have not resumed their activities."
"Then, what do you mean by 'Hero'?"
"These are different. They are new. Or perhaps 'new' is the wrong word. It means the Ancient and True Traditional Heroes have emerged."
Giral let out a heavy sigh and confirmed, "So you're saying the real deal has shown up."
"Precisely. The ancient, true traditional Heroes mentioned in the chronicles. Currently, the existence of two has been officially confirmed."
Before I could even tilt my head in confusion, Progenitor-san continued his explanation.
"To put it simply, an Ancient and True Traditional Hero is a being capable of using Unique Magic."
"Unique?"
"Yes. For reasons unknown, they master and wield magic that completely ignores all established laws and forms of sorcery."
Giral added a supplement to the explanation. "Those ancient, true... ugh, this is a pain. Let's just call them Heroes, and call the church ones 'Fake Heroes.' Back in the day, the magic those Heroes used included things like Weather Manipulation Magic, Castle Creation Magic, and even Sea-splitting Magic."
Then Raimeiren added her own piece. "The most famous example, of course, is Resurrection Magic."
"Resurrection?"
"Indeed. For most living beings, death is the end. However, Resurrection Magic grants life once more to the fallen."
That sounded incredible.
"Though there seem to be quite a few conditions for it..." Raimeiren looked toward Progenitor-san, prompting him to continue.
"It is truly a magic of miracles. These Heroes were meant to serve as the guardians of the Human Race. However, they stopped appearing six thousand years ago. In their place, the Church Heroes appeared."
"The Fake Heroes," Giral corrected.
"I understand. So, just when we thought those Fake Heroes were finally gone and we could relax, the real ones from the legends decided to show up."
I followed the explanation well enough. However, there was still one point I didn't quite grasp.
"Is it actually a problem if these True Heroes appear?"
"It’s not so much the Heroes themselves as the Unique Magic that causes trouble."
It’s one thing to master a powerful spell through diligent study. It’s another thing entirely for someone to suddenly obtain massive power and start firing it off recklessly. That was the concern.
"To use a simple analogy, it’s like giving a child a spell for a massive explosion. The odds of an accident are extremely high."
That made sense. I certainly didn't want someone messing with the weather on a whim.
"Furthermore, there is the matter of a Hero's purpose... which is also quite troublesome."
Progenitor-san began to recount the myth of the Hero’s birth.
"Well, it's not a grand enough story to really be called a myth. Long ago, when this world was first filled with Magic Power, some adapted to it and some did not. Those who adapted are what we call Demi-humans. Basically, everyone except the Human Race."
"So the ones who couldn't adapt were the humans?"
"Yes. Naturally, because humans couldn't use magic as well as the Demi-humans, their lifestyle was much more difficult. The Agricultural God saw this, took pity on them, and granted the Hero to the Human Race."
"Pity... wait, the Agricultural God gave them?"
"That is the legend. From then on, Heroes began to be born to human parents. The ratio is roughly one in a million."
"And that made life easier for the humans."
"At first, perhaps. But the personalities of those born as Heroes aren't always pure and righteous."
"I see..."
"Eventually, some began invading Demi-human Territory to expand the human sphere of influence. In the end, the common perception became that a Hero is one who defeats Demi-humans."
"Wait, then..."
"There is a high probability that the Heroes appearing now will act according to that logic."
"The Demon King was so happy that the Heroes were gone... he’s going to be disappointed."
"He likely will be. But well, that is simply the Demon King's destiny."
"Destiny?"
"Seeing the lives of Demi-humans threatened by Heroes, the God of Magic ensured that a Demon King would be born from the Demon Race specifically to counter them."
"Is that how it works?"
"Yes. Therefore, it can be said that the Hero and the Demon King are destined to clash."
Progenitor-san spoke with absolute certainty.
"And it isn't all bad news. There are multiple Heroes, but only one Demon King. That would be an unfair fight, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose so."
"Therefore, the Demon King is destined to gather four powerful subordinates."
"Four subordinates... you mean—"
"The Four Heavenly Kings. Nowadays, the title is just a formality for his four top ministers, but in the past, the four most exceptional individuals among the Demi-humans would join the Demon King to fight the Heroes."
"Huh."
The order felt a bit backward to me. Usually, the Demon King appears first, and then the Hero shows up to stop him, right? Well, I suppose the details didn't matter much.
"By the way, what was that square box you were carrying earlier?"
"Ahahaha..."
Progenitor-san and Raimeiren both looked away. Their gaze landed on the Demon King, who was now holding a square box of his own.
"This box? It’s a Hero Detector that has been passed down through the Demon King’s Clan for generations. It was always just a piece of junk that never reacted to anything, but I found it while cleaning the castle. When I showed it to the Village Head's wife in Shashato City, she told me I should bring it here."
…………
I see.
The residents of Village One had gone to Village Five to deliver the seasonings. Progenitor-san, Giral, and Raimeiren were all nodding to one another.
No, no. Don't go straight to the 'smash it' solution.
I should store that box securely before the Village One residents get back. I don't like trouble either, but it would be even worse if someone accidentally unleashed a strange spell because they didn't know what they were doing. I'll teach them properly and let them decide what to do for themselves. We just need to make sure no waves are stirred from the outside.
Waking up as a Hero doesn't suddenly change your personality and make you want to slaughter Demi-humans, right? Good. I’ll think about how to break the news to those who triggered the reaction.
"So, who exactly was it? Who was the Hero?"
……Eh?
There were reactions for eight people?
Hahahaha. No way. It’s one in a million, right? And there are eight of them? Does that mean there are eight different kinds of strange magic in my village?
You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking.
No? You’re not joking?
I see...
I’ll retract everything I said and apologize, so how about we just smash the box right now?
I felt myself starting to lean toward those wicked thoughts. Of course, I didn't actually smash the box.