Why Would I Ever Change My Name?
"Damn it! Push harder!"
"Herd it to the right!"
"That was a real hit, right? Admit it!"
"Just fifty more laps today…"
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Roughly two weeks had passed since the golem had been put to work in training.
The eleven heroes — Haring among them, having joined only a few days prior — had split into two camps. Five of them were attacking the golem, coordinating combos, staging ambushes, digging traps, doing whatever it took to land a clean hit. Haring was in that group, and she was putting in a serious effort, though progress remained stubbornly nonexistent.
The other six had given up on golem hunting entirely and taken to running circuits around the nest. That group, at least, was showing some improvement. Their pace was picking up day by day, and if they kept grinding for another three weeks or so, they might actually hit the target.
Yong-ba, for the record, had spent about five days fixated on the golem before quietly settling into bow practice. His form had been so bizarre it was painful to watch, and while it had improved somewhat, he still had a long way to go.
"I should send him to the elf kingdom later," Lea muttered. Elves were better archers, after all. Rather than waste her own time teaching him, it made more sense to give him a few basics and ship him off to learn properly.
Peaceful.
She half-reclined in her nest, popping cookies into her mouth. Things had been noisy for a while, but by now the sounds of their training had become familiar background noise. With the nest entrance firmly sealed, no hero short of completely unhinged would try to barge in — and even if they did, most of them obeyed her rules. Anyone who didn't simply got thrown out.
"Hwaaah…"
The peace was nice, truly, but…
"Why hasn't it come yet?"
No reply. When she'd been told the letter had reached the knight commander — Airi's granddaughter — she'd expected an answer almost immediately. Had something gone wrong along the way? Or was the old man so frail he couldn't even manage a conversation with a visitor?
"Don't tell me he actually di—"
Coo~
"!"
Flutter-flap!!
A bird.
A pure white dove settled into her half-dazed field of vision, planting its feet squarely on her cookie plate and standing tall. A small golden seal — the emperor's emblem — hung from its breast, and a fine strip of crimson parchment was bound to its ankle with a golden ribbon. The bird looked at her, then began pecking at the cookies.
"I didn't say you could eat those."
Coo~
"Just one? Fine, whatever."
It had brought a reply, so one cookie seemed fair. Lea untied the letter from the messenger dove's ankle as it pecked away. So he hadn't died after all. Still alive.
"Let's see…"
Hmm.
Hmm, hmm, hmm.
"It's long."
An emperor really was an emperor, wasn't he? The letter was plastered with so many flowery flourishes that it ran roughly twenty times the length of the one she'd sent. Roughly summarized, it went something like this:
To the Fire Dragon,
I am not dead yet.
I have grown too old to manage the heroes myself. That duty falls to the current emperor and his capable ministers.
As for the Goddess — I shall inquire of Her when the opportunity arises.
I hear you have been teaching the heroes. Knowing your temperament, I doubt you are instructing them properly… but I shall look kindly upon the effort all the same, and for that you should be grateful.
The Demon King has slept since that day, yet his remnants have begun stirring once more of late. My role ended long ago — but yours has not, has it?
I ask that you lend those young sprouts your aid.
And one more matter: you should come to me.
— The Former Hero-Emperor
"'You should come to me'? How arrogant."
Who did he think he was, summoning her? Tone aside, if he wasn't on death's door, the least he could do was come in person. In the old days she would have thoroughly put him in his place — but he was surely old and ailing by now, so she decided to let it slide this once.
He has the standing for it, at least.
The title of world-saving hero wasn't something you picked up at the market.
Flip.
"He wrote three whole pages."
Way too long.
'I hear you've been teaching the heroes. Knowing your personality, you're surely not teaching them properly — but I'll look on it favorably all the same.'
"Meringue. Not teaching them properly… yeah, I'll give him that one."
Making them run laps around the nest or fight a golem could hardly be called real instruction. It was just laying down the bare basics of being a hero. She'd started out with the idea of turning mass-produced heroes into handcrafted ones, but honestly, she didn't rate the odds. At best they'd reach the level of the weakest heroes from the previous era.
Raise them just enough and overwhelm with numbers. That should do it.
The old hag had probably drafted them this way with exactly that in mind.
'The Demon King has slept since that day, but his remnants have grown active again of late. My role is already finished — but yours is not, is it? I hope you will help those young sprouts.'
"At this point they're not sprouts. They're weeds."
One or two growing shoots could be called sprouts. Hundreds of them sprouting at once? Those were weeds. They should count themselves lucky she hadn't just mowed the whole lot down. She could give them a bit of sunlight, but anything beyond that they'd have to absorb on their own.
Lea finished reading the rest of the reply — filled with assorted small talk — and tucked it away inside the nest. Then she pushed herself up from her half-reclined sprawl and sat properly in her chair.
Outside, the heroes were still grinding through training after training.
"……"
Hmm.
"Instruction, huh…"
Would they even be able to take it in?
"Man, I really want to learn dragon techniques though…"
"Same."
"Me too."
"For real."
In the middle of the nest's open clearing, a green-haired man named HiddenJobPlz lay sprawled on his back, staring blankly at the sky after another hard day of running circuits. Around him, other users lay in the same pose. Running laps together every day had made them surprisingly close. A few of them even posted on the same Prollasia Gallery boards.
He'd come here chasing nothing but a hidden class, and so far he'd gotten nowhere. Honestly, three thousand laps was brutal, and landing a real hit on the golem was no easier. He wanted to quit so badly it hurt — but giving up now felt like a waste of everything he'd already poured in.
Just a little more.
Just a little further and it felt like he'd reach it.
"But seriously, isn't the Fire Dragon cute?"
"Cute, but also pure evil."
"A little devil."
"I genuinely want to hug her just once, but I feel like I'd die if I tried."
"Hey, that's my line."
"You, uh… yeah."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
The man who'd always been making weird faces in the back sat up and shouted, but the others just laughed. HiddenJobPlz shook his head at the scene. Some of them were ordinary users who didn't even browse the gallery. If they ever found out that guy was the owner of the infamous username "Yuginong," the reaction would be something else.
Total chaos, probably.
They might never get the chance to talk this close again.
After a long stretch of chatter, the brown-haired woman — Nya-nya — smiled and spoke up.
"But what do you think the Fire Dragon's actual name is?"
"Name?"
"I mean, we just keep going 'Fire Dragon-nim, Fire Dragon-nim,' but her real name can't literally be Dragon, right?"
"Hmm."
"Okay, that's a fair point."
"For a human that'd be like being named Red Person. Kind of ridiculous."
"I've asked before. She never answers."
The Fire Dragon's name. He was curious, sure, but…
"Wouldn't Haring know?"
"Oh. Let's ask her."
"Good idea. Though she looked like she was in a bad mood."
"Eh, we should still try once."
"Go go go!"
The group of six, HiddenJobPlz included, headed over toward the golem-hunting squad. They'd worried about interrupting, but luckily the hunters were on break, scattered around resting separately. Haring, mid-gulp of a potion, looked up at the sudden visitors and tilted her head.
"What? You guys switching to the golem team too?"
"No, not that. Do you happen to know the Fire Dragon's name?"
"Name? It's Fire Dragon, isn't it?"
"No, like — her real name."
"Uh…?"
Haring looked puzzled, but after hearing out the six commonly known as the Nest Circuit Squad, she nodded.
"Okay yeah. No way her name is actually Fire Dragon."
"Right? We figured you might know."
"She's never told me separately. And she doesn't answer when you ask, either."
"So even you don't know, Haring."
"Should I just go ask her directly?"
"Think she'll answer?"
"Only one way to find out!"
The most fired-up guy in the Nest Circuit Squad marched confidently toward the Fire Dragon resting deeper inside the nest.
And got thoroughly chewed out.
"Go run your laps."
"Uh…"
"Should we just run?"
"No. They say relationships advance by getting to know each other, right? Who knows — maybe this cursed quest will progress too."
Nya-nya grinned like she'd just had a brilliant idea.
"Let's figure it out. Her name."
"...?"
Lea had been enjoying her usual peace when a sudden commotion snapped her eyes open.
"Fire Dragon-nim!"
"Fire Dragon-nim, would you like a cookie?"
"I went down and bought some expensive meat this time…"
"Try this candy!"
Heroes appeared out of nowhere and launched a full-scale gift offensive. The same people who should have been training or resting suddenly crowded around her as if some strange wind had blown through their heads. It wasn't even tribute time yet.
"What. Why are you all like this?"
"Aww~ You always look out for us, so this much is basic! Right, Haring?"
"Facts facts. Without Fire Dragon-nim we never would've grown like this."
"...?"
The brown-haired hero and Haring pressed in close, holding out fruit and candy. Lea felt something off about the whole thing, but popped both into her mouth anyway.
Munch munch.
"Tasty~"
"Hehe. Right? Fire Dragon-nim. But the training is sooooo hard~"
"Training is supposed to be hard."
"Ah, well, that's true too. But it would be nice if you eased up just a little~"
"...I'm not cutting it just because you brought snacks."
Did they really think a food bribe would make her lower the bar? If anything, she ought to be ramping the intensity up, not down. Still chewing her candy, she shook her head firmly.
Even mass-produced heroes need proper training.
The heroes set down their offerings with visible disappointment.
"Guess we'll head back to it, then. Shame!"
"Yeah. Work hard and clear the threshold, and I might teach you for real."
"Really?"
"Mm."
Magic and mana were her specialties, after all. Even just teaching them a mana cultivation method and some basic spells would be enough to make each of them pull their own weight. Most of the heroes cheered as if already looking forward to that day.
As they began drifting off one by one, Haring turned back with a serious expression.
"Hey, Fire Dragon-nim."
"Hm?"
"I saw it in a history book down in the village — it said your name is Dragonic. Is that right?"
"Nope~"
What kind of bizarre name was that? For a human, it'd be like being called "Humann." She'd never heard of it in her life.
She shook her head no, but the heroes refused to let it go and piled on with their own takes.
"That's me though—"
"I also thought Fire Dragon-nim was Dragonic."
"Isn't it Flame Dragonic?"
"Huh? So it's not Dragonic?"
"Ah, from what I know, Dragonic was the name from way back in ancient times. She must have changed it."
"Ahh…"
"That's not it."
She'd never used a name like that even in the old days. The only time she'd ever changed her name was once, in her previous life.
Why would I be crazy enough to change my name?
Apparently some nonsense had found its way into the history books.
"Then can we call you Dragonic-nim?"
"Yeah. Last time you said we could call you whatever. So it's fine, right?"
"No…"
"Dragonic-nim! I'm heading off to train!"
"Dragonic-nim, where should I put this meat?"
"Dragonic-nim, more candy for yo—"
"...Lea."
"Hm?"
……
"My name is Lea. You idiots."