Be Reborn as a New Hero
“Huh?”
As I lay there shaking off those unpleasant thoughts, a cheerful alert tone pierced my ears, and at the same time, a familiar quest window popped up.
[Path of the New Hero]
📍 Objective: Be reborn as a new hero, not as the goddess's hero!
🎁 Success Reward: Constellation System unlocked
“...What the hell?”
Startled by the quest window that appeared without any warning, I slowly parsed the text, furrowing my brow and tilting my head at the odd phrasing.
“The goddess's hero?”
The heroes I knew were in a completely different league from holy knights who served specific gods. Heroes could wield holy power too, but it was ultimately born from the faith gathered around them—little more than a half-scam trick they pulled off. The goddesses' holy power belonged to an entirely different branch within the holy power category.
Holy power was, quite literally, the faith collected by a goddess, refined once, and bestowed as a custom-made gift tailored to the individual. It wasn't limited to a specific category like hero; it was a bespoke product for that person alone. People sharing the same faith had compatible holy power properties, allowing them to share it during use, but heroes couldn't. That was the strongest proof that heroes weren't the goddesses' slaves.
“Religious folks spout off about divine oracles and all that crap... All you need is the qualification to pull the holy sword.”
Even that qualification to wield the holy sword didn't just drop from the sky one day with a goddess's revelation. In my case, the holy sword's emblem naturally etched itself onto my hand over time, but previous heroes had gotten theirs in weirder ways—like meeting a lake spirit or grasping a sword with a golden hilt. The timing and reasons for gaining hero status were all mysteries.
And the religious types conveniently believed the goddesses handled it.
“If the goddesses made this system, they've got some seriously twisted hobbies.”
Setting aside other quests or the status window, starting with those NTR quests and the idea that abandoning those women opens the door to true happiness? Their tastes were fucked up from the get-go. Honestly, if it hadn't been Minel or the other academy students, I could've easily spiraled into misogyny—or misanthropy, even.
“Anyway, become a new hero, huh?”
I had no clue what the Constellation System reward meant, but unlocking a new system was rarely a bad choice. Still, the timing of this quest made it seem like the goddesses sure as hell didn't create this system...
“...So how the fuck do I even do that?”
Just don't grab the holy sword and call myself a hero? No, that'd get me treated as a hero at best, not whatever this was asking for. The emblem on my hand was a hero's symbol, sure, but you had to look close to notice it. Most people fixated on the holy sword you got afterward. In a world where hero = holy sword was the idiotic equation, no one would buy a swordless hero. Fake holy swords from the Holy Kingdom might mimic the power, but they couldn't channel a hero's holy power. Plus, they ran on goddess holy power—which totally contradicted the quest.
“Ugh...”
This quest's vagueness made my head throb, unlike the others. Straightforward ones like “slay the demon army” or “rescue someone” were easy to handle. But metaphorical bullshit like this? No clue.
“Who the hell made this thing...”
I'd barely investigated the system's creator or administrator so far. At first, I wondered why it happened to me, but prioritizing the women came first. Now? I had the luxury to look elsewhere.
“Not the three major goddesses, that's for sure... Ancient gods, maybe?”
Back when I lived with Prin, we'd taken down some “heretics” who worshipped ancient gods. We labeled anything outside the three goddesses as heresy and killed it, but from a normal civilian's view—priest or not—the world was full of weird shit. The twelve ancient gods had fallen. Despite creating humans, they saw them as toys, so humans rose as heroes and beheaded them. The three goddesses, born from human faith, filled the void.
The Goddess of Mercy, Neyris. The Goddess of Revelry, Anyst. The Goddess of Vengeance, Raichel.
With the three claiming absolute divinity, they created not just humans but elves, dwarves, and more. Monsters, demons, and demonkin spawned from the corpses of the twelve. That was the canonical creation myth everyone knew.
“Something's off...”
But the “official” story had too many holes. No names, weapons, or death details for those godslayers—just “heroes.” And after taking the twelve's thrones, did the three have time to create other races? Twelve heavenly gods versus three earthborn ones. Heavenly won, hands down. I knew heaven's job: managing dead souls and this world—the mortal realm or mid-plane.
“No way in hell.”
Proof? Undead. Souls that died but wouldn't stay dead. Records showed none formed naturally—only via forced binding with black magic or curses. Undead started appearing recently: right before the first hero, when the original demon king rampaged.
“The three goddesses can't handle soul processing...”
Hence, heroes as the counter to demon kings.
“Puts it all in perspective.”
The three goddesses sat on the ancient thrones, sure—but hadn't fully replaced them. The goddesses' setup was a mess, and there was zero proof the popular myth wasn't bullshit too.
“Might dig into this.”
The twelve ancient gods...
“Library first.”
Info won't find itself. Books weren't gospel, but someone else might've doubted the goddesses like me. And Arcade Academy's library? Bound to have what I need.
“Rain, heading to the library. You coming?”
“Yes, Young Master. Lianne, please tidy up the house while we're at the library.”
“I could come too...!”
“No. I told you: outsiders can't enter the academy library. Almost nowhere in the academy allows you, so memorize that.”
Lianne couldn't even retort. She just clutched her skirt hem and bowed her head. No pity here. After that bedroom incident, my negativity toward her had peaked and stayed there. Maybe I'd forced the embers of affection into ash.
“Rain, let's go.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Rain threw a jacket over her academy uniform and fell in step beside me.
“We'll be back. Clean up while we're gone.”
“...See you.”
As I opened the door and stepped out, a small voice brushed my ear from behind.
“Have a safe trip, Master.”
“...”
That familiar greeting ignited heat in my gut, spilling from my mouth.
“Haa...”
Should've never brought Lianne here. Regret hit late; I quickened my pace away from the dorm.
“The library's open 24 hours—no need to rush. Calm down and walk.”
Noticing my haste, Rain gently took my hand, matching my stride... then slowing it bit by bit.
Right. No reason to run.
Call it trauma. Just being near her dredged up memories, making my heart race wildly.
“Young Master, what's so scary?”
“I...”
I'm scared. Of betrayal.
I want to trust. Lean on someone, erase this loneliness.
The system-vouched Rain was trustworthy, but trusting her? Hard.
Precisely...
“I can't give anyone my complete trust.”
Battlefield backs? Minel, Rain, even reliable adventurers—no issue.
But...!
“The thought that you might betray me and vanish never leaves my subconscious.”
Won't heal easy. Unlike trauma, this had rooted deep. Countless meetings, more betrayals. Worst were the ones I'd trusted absolutely—like them.
Thank god for Minel-types. Total human distrust? Nah, just severe. Craving affection balanced it out.
“Can't even fully trust you, Minel... or my parents.”
“Then don't. Doesn't matter.”
“What?”
Turning to Rain, her red hair caught the crimson sunset, giving her an unfamiliar aura.
“Even if you can't trust me, I'll follow you anyway.”
She smiled faintly.
“If you're that anxious, just think of me as an object.”
No tremor in her voice—just calm fact.
“No one gets betrayed by an object. Or... make me your slave. I don't mind.”
“Are you insane?”
Slavery wasn't metaphor. Etching a submission seal on the heart—a total obedience mark. Known only for heinous criminals or illegal means, and she was offering it to me.
“No, just a maid earning trust she lacks.”
“Haa...”
I rubbed my face, dry-washing repeatedly.
“You're nuts too.”
“If you can't trust me... isn't this what a dutiful maid does?”
Damn... risking your life over maid duty?
“Forget it. Let's hit the library before sunset and grab some books.”
“Understood.”