Chapter 6

By the time Merea turned fifteen, half of the heroes had already vanished.

Their lingering attachments had been purified in inverse proportion to Merea's growth.

"They called me to be a hero, but they all disappeared before I could become one. It feels like I'm the one killing them."

However, Merea felt a deep sense of sorrow about this.

"That's not true, Merea. You're doing something wonderful for them. You're breaking their lingering attachments and the cycle of revenge. It's truly amazing that they can find satisfaction beyond their lingering attachments."

Flandre Crow was still in the Lindholm Spirit Mountain.

Fifteen years had passed since Merea and Flandre had traveled the world together.

It seemed like a long time, yet it was also short.

"What is your lingering attachment, Flandre?"

Merea had deliberately avoided asking the heroes about their individual attachments.

She thought they might tell her if she asked, but she didn't want to make them relive their painful past memories.

However, with half of the heroes already gone and the uncertainty of when Flandre might disappear, Merea finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"Me? My lingering attachment? Hmm... I wonder..."

Flandre looked up at the sky, as if in deep thought.

"---What was it, exactly? I can recall some scenes from the past, but..."

Merea's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

Flandre himself didn't clearly remember his attachment. He was starting to forget.

This was a common sign when a hero was about to disappear.

Merea realized that Flandre would soon be gone too.

"It's okay. I'll watch over you until the end."

"---Yeah."

For Merea, this was both a comfort and a source of sadness.

◆◆◆

Merea's body was steadily trained by the martial heroes.

However, Merea never left the Lindholm Spirit Mountain.

At first, she had thought about going down to the lower world to observe, but she became increasingly anxious that if she left, the heroes might all disappear by the time she returned. This anxiety eventually prevented her from leaving.

As a result, Merea missed the opportunity to measure her physical strength against the standards of the lower world.

No ordinary person ever reached the summit of the Lindholm Spirit Mountain.

Those who did climb were rare, and most were monsters or beasts that had been possessed by spirits in the middle of the mountain, or creatures of a different kind altogether.

The heroes, in principle, had no physical form.

Some could materialize temporarily through rituals or the special properties of the spirit mountain, but as Merea grew and their attachments faded, even this became impossible.

◆◆◆

One day, Tyrant, the largest and most martial of the heroes, faced Merea for what he called their final training session.

Tyrant could materialize for only two minutes.

In that short time, Merea threw Tyrant to the ground.

It was the first time Merea had thrown Tyrant, who was finally taking her seriously.

"---You've grown strong, Merea. So strong that I almost hate you for it. Thanks to you, my body is fading. ---Damn, what was my wish? Maybe I just wanted someone to carry on my techniques, and now I realize that."

Merea had surpassed Tyrant.

After never having won against him in all their sparring sessions, Merea finally defeated Tyrant that day. Tyrant, looking satisfied, patted Merea on the head.

"The 'War God's Rigid Body' is my legacy. Your body is strong. A few sword strikes shouldn't bother you at all. You've mastered it as your own. You are undoubtedly strong. I hope you take pride in the name of the War God. That will be my offering."

"Tyrant..."

"Don't look so sad. My legacy is in your body. I'll always be with you."

"---Yeah."

"Your soul is in a different world, but you were cherished like my own son, enough to break my attachment. So, I'm going. I don't want to burden you with any unnecessary ties."

As he spoke, Tyrant's body began to fade. ---His spirit was disappearing.

Just before he vanished, Tyrant thrust his right fist toward Merea.

Merea quickly approached and met his fist with her own.

"---Stay strong."

"---Goodbye, Dad."

"Haha, not a bad name."

And so, another hero ascended to the sky.

◆◆◆

Thanks to the legacy of the heroes, Merea's body was imbued with an extraordinary vitality.

The "War God's Rigid Body."

The "Life King's Reviving Body."

The "Death King's Heart."

The "Disease God's Antibodies."

And many other characteristics of the heroes were also within her.

These characteristics were integrated by the "Soul of the Otherworld."

Merea's soul had an astonishingly wide and deep capacity, much to the surprise of the heroes.

◆◆◆

As the number of heroes decreased, Merea found herself with more free time.

Having grown accustomed to a life of constant training, she was at a loss about what to do with her newfound freedom.

---What should I do?

No, what do I want to do from now on?

She occasionally listened to the conversations of the celestial dragons who visited the summit, trying to imagine how she would live in this world, but she always gave up halfway.

---I don't feel like I really belong in this world.

She had never seen the world with her own eyes. She had never experienced the lower world where living humans dwelled. The long period of isolation had caused this sense of detachment, which she vaguely understood.

Days of such contemplation continued for a while.

One day, Merea found a strange stone in a corner of the spirit mountain.

It was a rare stone she had heard about from the celestial dragons.

---The "Future Stone."

Holding this stone for thirty minutes was supposed to reveal one's future possibilities in words or pictures.

"Quite a straightforward fantasy."

Despite this thought, she couldn't resist trying it.

Merea decided to test the future-seeing ability of the Future Stone.

Merea remained still, holding the Future Stone for thirty minutes.

Afterward, she looked at the words that appeared on the surface of the stone.

◆◆◆

"Dark Lord"

◆◆◆

Without hesitation, Merea shattered the Future Stone with a hand strike.

---Phew.

Merea looked around, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

If the heroes had seen that, it would have been disastrous.

---Everyone is trying to raise me to be a hero, but this Future Stone is clearly defective.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.

Inhaling the cold air of the spirit mountain, she suddenly noticed another Future Stone nearby and decided to try again.

---That must have been a mistake.

With a mix of hope and uncertainty, she held the Future Stone for another thirty minutes.

"Dark---"

She shattered it.

---That's strange. This can't be right.

She had been raised by over a hundred heroes.

She was supposed to be a hero, a thoroughbred, so this was wrong.

Even if she were a regular person, this would be concerning, but being the complete opposite was a problem.

---One last time. Just one more. Third time's the charm, right? ---Or maybe the third time is the same as the second.

Merea's final attempt began.

"Dark God"

It was over in an instant.

---If anything, it got worse...

Worse than a Dark Lord.

At least it could have been just a "Lord."

---I can't show this to Flandre and the others.

Merea gathered all the nearby Future Stones and hid them where the heroes couldn't see.

Future Stones were not infallible.

They only showed a "possibility." If she tried again after some time, it would surely show something like "Savior" or "Great Hero." Even "Hero" would be fine.

---Even a lie would be okay. Please, just show me something like that.

Merea bowed her head in earnest prayer.

◆◆◆

About a month later,

---The prediction from the Future Stone should have changed by now. Yes, it must have.

She was aware that it was a bit early, but she couldn't help her restlessness.

Wishing that the "Dark Lord" and "Dark God" predictions had changed, she dug up the hidden Future Stones, confirmed that no heroes were around, and held one again.

Thirty minutes.

She released her hand.

---Oh, this time it's a picture.

There was a man leaning on a large, spiky-decorated chair, grinning. The chair looked like a throne, albeit one with a rather evil aesthetic. Next to the man, several men and women were depicted with their heads bowed.

---This is strange. He's definitely up to something bad...

Who is this man, acting like a stereotypical evil Dark Lord?

Snow-white hair, red eyes, and an awkwardly forced evil expression.

---He looks a lot like me.

It must be a coincidence.

Merea shattered the stone, having become quite adept at the task.

---Pictures are a bit hard to understand. Next time, please show me words.

Wishing for words, she held the Future Stone again.

"Dark Lord Master"

---Close! That's fine! It's probably a mix of "Dark Lord" and "Savior"! But if they combine, it becomes "Master of the Dark Lord," which is quite dangerous. "Savior King" would have been better!

She decided to stop after one more try, as it would likely show "Dark Lord" again.

---Well, at least "Dark Lord Master" leaves a glimmer of hope. Okay, let's move forward.

Merea forced herself to accept this.

◆◆◆

After Merea left the Future Stone mining site, someone else visited.

He picked up a Future Stone that Merea had stepped on and muttered the words inscribed on it.

"---'Master of a Hundred Demons,' huh?"

It was a message Merea had unknowingly stepped on.