Lifting the Hero
-Kwaaaah!!
Hold on a moment. It was like watching a cutscene in a game, deliberately inserted to let the players catch their breath. Elly and I watched for a good while as the massive wave of holy power surged forward, greedily devouring the evil aura.
“....!”
Ghouls, skeletons, banshees, corpse golems, dullahans, and more. Regardless of their individual worth, they all crumbled into the light. The rewards we'd reap from this were going to be substantial, no doubt.
Honestly, an event like this with performance on this level? It was raid-tier, and she was soloing it. I gazed at the skill effects still blooming in the distance, purely in awe.
The Hero is a Hero, after all.
Even with her controls still unrefined, she was pulling off this level of efficiency. Her potential naturally warranted a grand S-rank label.
Well, yeah.
That Elite Summon Ticket had evolved into this, so maybe it was just par for the course.
A beat late, the notifications started rolling in.
'Ghoul' defeated!
The names of the undead that had vanished first under the Hero's slashes began popping up. Not just one or two, but a whole bunch.
Music to my ears.
I muted the alert chimes for now and focused on the spectacle unfolding before us.
“...Hm?”
Suddenly, the small frame in my arms, bolstered by the holy sword, staggered slightly. A quick check of Elly's status window showed she'd pushed her body too far.
Her mana bar was scraping bottom after just one strike. I cast a mana recovery skill on her right away and checked her condition.
“You okay?”
“Haa, haa. Y-Yeah... I'm good now.”
Vitality returned to her body, which had been wobbling on the verge of collapse. It was clear she'd need a lot more growth to hit the performance level that satisfied me.
Heir of the Lost Star: If the Sword Saintess is by her side, she'll grow much faster.
Yeah, figures.
In the game lore, that's why they traveled as a set: the fledgling Hero and the Sword Saintess trained to mold her into a proper one.
Of course, that didn't guarantee they'd turn out right. My memories still held vivid images of her as a crazed maniac, eyes bulging while hunting constellations.
Can't let my kid turn out like that.
Heir of the Lost Star: .....
Selfish greed over sacrifice for others. Love for me and my cult above all. That's how I'd raise her. If she still went astray despite that, well, nothing to be done.
Show her only the good from childhood, give her only positive experiences—wouldn't she grow up pretty and proper? Just like now.
-Saaah...
Watching the undead dissolve into light filled a corner of my heart with piety.
“What do you think?”
Her sparkling eyes turned back to me when I asked.
“Pretty...!”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah...! Wanna do it again!”
Oho.
Her enthusiasm was commendable, but it was time to call it. After all—
Hidden Monster, 'Eldritch', has been annihilated!
There were no more undead left—not even stragglers.
Should've dialed back the power a bit?
The issue wasn't Elly; it was me, who'd shouldered most of the holy power support. First time doing full Possession for real combat, so there were some glitches.
Wanted to chat with 'em a little.
About the 'Fleshless Prophet of Death' who'd orchestrated this from the shadows.
Perfect timing, though.
I wanted to thank them personally for the great show, but they were probably desperately hiding by now.
No matter. I'd track them down eventually.
Sudden Quest Cleared!
Successfully repelled the invasion of the Constellation, 'Fleshless Prophet of Death'!
I dismissed the official alert signaling the invasion's end and straightened up, having bent down to meet Elly's eyes until then. Amazed at how fluidly my body unfolded despite the awkward posture, I turned around.
“.....”
The knight order watched us with varied expressions—especially Lisia and the Sword Saintess beside her.
This felt like more than enough for a welcome show. The kind that made it impossible not to join in.
“W-Woaaaah...!”
“Father God has returned!! Worship Him!”
Waaaaaah!!
Before I could even greet them, a massive cheer erupted from the knights. I could calm things with a loudspeaker, sure—but why would I?
They're cheering 'cause they like me.
Worship was always welcome.
“....?”
Elly's gaze shifted to the roaring crowd behind us.
“Huh...?”
“See? They all like Elly.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. They're happy 'cause Elly beat the bad monsters.”
Elly stared at the knights' ecstatic faces for a long moment. Bemused, but not unpleasantly so—like she was caught in a novel sensation.
Devotee 'Elion' is delighted by your words.
Good. I like it too.
This experience would profoundly shape her future path as the Hero. She didn't yet grasp that I was a Constellation, that she'd witnessed a miracle firsthand at my side.
But when she did, she'd feel its weight. I hoped she'd work hard for our cult.
The flow of a colossal star is watching you.
Uh-huh, sure.
Once ominous, these alerts now felt welcome. The more, the better—I'd get annoyed manually friending them one by one.
“Alright then...”
I took Elly's hand firmly and decided to give some fan service to the cheering crowd.
First, lights.
Celestial Aura (S)
-Fwaaah!!
A luxury no ordinary priest could dream of. But in a Possessed body, it was effortless—top-tier holy lighting.
“Aaaah!”
“Lord God...!”
As the staging holy spell lit up the scene, I addressed the thrilled knights.
“Knights of the kingdom, brave warriors who do not hesitate to lay down your lives for your beloved families and nation.”
Today. Without me here, this place would be a living hell overrun by death by now.
I didn't know the exact circumstances of the invasion, but lore-wise, the 'Fleshless Prophet of Death' only appeared mid-game.
No matter their high combat prowess for a tutorial nation, they couldn't handle a Constellation's forces.
The 'Six Stars' nightmares that dominated community forums happened because players here were still early in progression.
Yet here they stood. Knowing defeat was certain, but fulfilling their duty regardless.
“You have witnessed today the birth of a 'new Hero' who will safeguard this era.”
But rather than dwell on their achievements, I stuck to the plan, just as at the start.
With the Absolute's return, it was time to introduce new hands for our cult.
“H-Hero...?”
“The falling star rumor was real...?”
The crowd stirred at my declaration. Not a matter of belief—this was peak performance art, flowing seamlessly from the holy sword show.
“Ahh, Father God...!”
Our Lisia was overjoyed, hand over mouth in rapture. The Sword Saintess seemed rational but was visibly shaken.
Satisfied by their reactions in the alerts, I moved to imprint Elly's existence on them fully.
“Thus, here and now, I proclaim the guardian who drove out the wicked undead and protected us all.”
“Ah, ah...!”
With glee, I slipped my hands under Herien's armpits and hoisted her up.
Elly flinched as she floated into the air but soon relaxed completely.
She's enjoying it?
Truly exceptional from the start—her attitude set her apart.
“Hero, Elion! Praise this little girl's grand feats!”
“Oooooh...!”
-Elion! Elion!
The crowd went wild, chanting the Hero's name in ecstasy at my bold proclamation. Perfect reaction.
Normally, she'd be overshadowed by me, but with the spotlight star herself hyping it up? Different story.
“Whoaaa...!”
Clinging to my hand, flustered at first, Elly soon beamed with pure joy as her name echoed grandly.
“Fun?”
“Awesome...! Yeah!”
“Elly's the Hero.”
“Yeah...!”
Looking at her happy nod, my gaze shifted to the Sword Saintess. She should've been first, but twisted stellar flows had complicated things with me in between.
No big deal.
Let's get along.
They were all cult now anyway—might as well make them all buddy-buddy.
Constellation, 'Fleshless Prophet of Death', has recognized your existence!