The Hero's Bloodline (2)
“What are you two talking about?”
The hero's wife asked as she came home with her daughter, glancing between me and the hero.
“Oh, just this and that. Nothing you'd find all that interesting.”
The hero brushed off his wife's question with a sly deflection. But... I figured his wife ought to know about this too.
I gave the hero's back a light thwack and turned to his wife. “We were talking about your daughter's future.”
“Auntie?!”
“Quiet. Doesn't your wife have a right to know?”
I smacked the hero's back again, hard enough to make a satisfying thwack.
“H-Hey, but...”
“Quiet, you idiot.”
As I unilaterally pummeled the hero with these one-sided blows, his wife tilted her head in confusion. It was a gesture that looked too youthful for a woman in her fifties, but then again, she appeared to be in her thirties, so it wasn't all that strange... Hmm. Maybe even thirties was a stretch for that spryness.
“My daughter's future? What on earth do you mean?”
“Well, there's this mana of mine inside her, and it might cause some issues.”
“Mana? I don't really get it, but... does that mean Auntie’s mana is inside me?”
The hero's daughter looked a bit startled as she asked me in return. Well, yeah, no surprise there. To humans, mana was still this mysterious, unknown thing. They vaguely knew it existed, but that was it. Hearing it was flowing through your body? Of course you'd freak out.
Hmm, come to think of it, they were researching mana in Procyon too, but no real breakthroughs yet, from what I'd heard. Oops, got sidetracked.
“What did you put inside me? Is it okay?”
“If I hadn't, you wouldn't be alive right now.”
I lightly prodded her forehead with my index finger. My mana, seeped deep into her body, stirred ever so slightly—and the girl toppled backward with a thud.
“W-What was that?!”
“Just a tiny bit of my mana inside you moving. And even that had this effect.”
“S-Scary! Can we get rid of it somehow?”
I shook my head slightly at that.
“That's what's kept you alive all this time, from birth right up to now.”
It had protected this fragile newborn and let her grow this far.
Watching her daughter like this, the hero's wife spoke up with a worried look. “Um, Dragon Priestess? What kind of effect does this mana have on her?”
Effect, huh. “She'll probably grow into something beyond human—something more like me.”
Unlike with the hero, I couldn't tell his wife everything. He knew my true identity, but to her, I was just the Dragon Priestess.
“Like the Dragon Priestess...? Does that mean she'll be the next one?”
“Like Auntie? Me? Nah, I don't wanna.”
She didn't want to end up like me? That was unexpected.
“What's wrong with becoming like me?”
“But Auntie, you don't do anything.”
Hey, that's not true! I do work! As the Goddess of Life and the Genesis Dragon, I'm busy every day!!! Plus, the death gods have been trying to offload their workloads onto me, so I've had to give them a stern talking-to! The life temples handle most things on their own, so I don't need to micromanage, but they do consult me sometimes—and I handle it all from home!!! Remotely, sure, but still!
“You're always lounging around the house, and even when I drag you out for some fresh air, you just hole up in your room. Dad and Mom are both super busy with work. You're the only one who doesn't.”
Ugh. I work hard too...! But I couldn't reveal my true self to her.
The hero, who knew the truth, just gave an awkward laugh.
“Anyway, I don't wanna be like Auntie. I'd rather be like Mom and Dad.”
“I-I see... But if you become like me, you'll gain immense power and a much longer lifespan.”
“Immense power? What would I even do with it?”
What would she do...? “Anything you want, I suppose?”
With the amount of mana she had, it'd be overwhelming compared to a normal human. Using it all might even risk her life, but that probably wouldn't happen.
Yeah. “All I want is to live happily with Mom, Dad, and Auntie.”
What a sweet kid. Her innocent words moved the hero and his wife; their eyes grew misty.
“But with that power, you could really do anything.”
“Hmm... But aside from living happily with my family, I don't really want anything.”
No greed, just a peaceful take on life. Admirable.
“Your lifespan would extend, so you'd live a long time.”
“Hmm... What's good about living a long time?”
Her pure question left me momentarily speechless. What's good about a long life?
“You could do everything you ever wanted to do?”
“I don't want anything besides living happily with my family. And if I do want something, Mom, Dad, and Auntie always make it happen for me.”
“Travel the world?”
“You already take me wherever I wanna go, Auntie. The beach the other day was so fun.”
“Meet lots of people?”
“Family's enough for me. Too many people would just tire me out.”
Answers way too mature for a kid. A long life... what's the point? After all these years, an unexpected question filled my mind.
What was life for? To achieve desires? To spread one's lineage? What was the true meaning of life?
Was I, the so-called Goddess of Life, failing to grasp even this?
As the Goddess of Life, what should I give to life itself? What was my reason for existing?
“Auntie?”
The hero's daughter snapped me out of it. Whatever thread of profound thought I'd grasped slipped away.
“Oh, uh, just got lost in thought for a sec.”
Ahem. I'd ponder that later. Right now, her future took priority over philosophical musings on life and death.
“And I've heard tons from Dad! How he suffered as a hero. If I get that power, shouldn't I become a hero too?”
“Not necessarily... but others might come after you for that power.”
“Sounds annoying.”
Where'd she pick that up? This little slacker-in-training.
“I don't really need power or a long life.”
She said it so casually, like it was nothing. There'd be countless people willing to die for even a fraction of that strength.
But hey, maybe that attitude wasn't so bad.
“Looks like we've got a direction. Hero.”
“Yeah. My daughter's something else.”
Turning down unlimited potential so easily. Definitely not your average kid.
Average. But just in case, I'd prepare a safety net.
“Since this is her wish, sealing it makes sense... but for now, a temporary seal. When she comes of age, we'll ask again.”
“Huh? Won't that be a hassle?”
“It's that important. If she still feels the same as an adult, we'll make it permanent. Got it?”
She might change her mind later. Then we could unseal it.
“Won't that seal affect her in other ways?”
“Affect her how? Hmm... Her hair color might gradually revert to its natural shade?”
Her grown hair was silver, but new growth would return to normal. Her bones and features were mostly set, so no big changes there.
“Huh? My hair color?”
The hero's wife clutched her daughter's head.
“This beautiful silver hair disappearing? No way! It's so gorgeous!!”
“Well, even if you say that...”
“C-Couldn't we at least keep the hair? Stroking it always feels like she's your sister, Dragon Priestess. It's this inexplicable satisfaction...”
Uh, um... Marriage changed her or something? I shook my head.
“You think that's possible?”
“But...”
“Mom, seriously. You're being dramatic!”
The daughter wriggled free from her mom's embrace, grumbling.
“It's just hair color! No big deal!”
“No big deal...?”
“Alright, you two, calm down. Okay?”
The hero stepped in, and the mood settled a bit.
“So, temporary seal now, decide on permanent after she comes of age. Sound good?”
“We could seal it right now!”
“Ugh, that silver hair just like the Dragon Priestess...”
“Mom!”
At the sight of this family bickering, I couldn't help but smile softly.