After all, Alus was intimately familiar with two sword fighters whose prowess far outstripped his own. The first was his magnificent father. The second was his outrageous older sister. Compared to the likes of them, his own swordsmanship was like an infant child playing with a stick. His father, moreover, had wanted to be a Magician when he was Alus’s age for some strange reason, and had practiced his magic—not swordsmanship—every day, while his sister had won the last three National Fencing Tournaments in a row despite continuing to insist that swordplay was not one of her strong suits.
“I respect them a great deal,” Alus said, “but having such extraordinary people in one’s family can give one quite the sense of inferiority,” he trailed off. “I suppose I should be grateful that they never tried to lord it over me.”
Alus went back to the dressing room alone and took off his heavy protective gear piece by piece with stiff solemnity. The swords they used for training were blunt, but they were still made out of iron and every bit as hefty as the real thing, hence the need for protection.
The sky was a clear blue outside the window, and far in the distance Alus could hear the commotion of the class resuming their training. A pleasant breeze blew in through the window. Alus took a deep breath and spoke, addressing the empty space behind him.
“How long do you intend to watch me, may I ask?” he said. He had recognized that he was being observed.
“Magnificent...” a divine voice said in his mind in response. A beam of light illuminated the room, and suddenly, over his shoulder Alus could see a beautiful woman floating in the air right behind him. “I came here because I sensed the presence of a powerful soul, but to think I would discover one so outstanding as you...” The floating woman’s voice trembled with emotion. “Never before has a mortal addressed me so, before I even descended from the heavens.”
“Then...” Alus said, “are you a goddess?”
He, like most of humanity, had been baptized by the Holy Church. It was the Holy Church that performed the Selection Ceremony, and so nearly every human alive numbered among their adherents. In terms of faith, Alus had only a middling amount of light piety, but if this woman was a goddess, it seemed rude to keep his back turned. He turned to face her and kneeled down.
“What business does Your Divinity have with one such as me?”
“A goddess only appears before mortals to perform miracles or deliver a divine oracle.”
“So you say, and yet I am no Saint.”
Only Saints had the ability to receive oracles from the gods. Alus, who knew full well that his faith in the gods was by no means deep, couldn’t imagine why the Goddess would appear before him.
“By my authority as Goddess,” the Goddess said, “I would grant you the Profession of Hero.”
“Oh. I...see?” Alus reacted to the sudden declaration with perfect confusion. He might as well have had a question mark floating above his head.
The Goddess, who had expected the boy to begin immediately shedding tears of joy, cocked her head, mystified.
“Is that all?” she asked. “You do know that Hero is the strongest of all Professions, granted only to one person in the world at a time, do you not?”
“Well, that is quite something...” said Alus. Despite his words, he didn’t actually seem impressed in the slightest. “However, I am but fourteen years of age. I am not old enough for my Selection Ceremony.”
“That is of no concern,” boasted the Goddess. “I will grant you permission personally, as the Goddess who oversees the ceremony. None would have grounds to object.”
The Profession system worked automatically, granting humans suitable Professions when they were of the appropriate age. With the Goddess granting a Profession directly, however, she could skip right over the age requirement and assign whatever Profession struck her fancy.
“Becoming a Hero will increase all of your abilities twofold, and grant you the unique Dimension Cutter skill, available only to the Hero. The Dimension Cutter will ignore any defense your opponent happens to possess. It is an irresistible sword technique. As Hero, there will be no foe who can stand against you.”
“I don’t know...” Alus muttered. “I can’t imagine something like that would be enough to defeat my sister...”
“What was that?”
“Never mind, I was just thinking out loud. Please, continue.”
“Very well. I have told you the miracle I will perform. Now I will give you my oracle.”
“What is it you would ask of me, Divinity?”
“The only thing I would ask of a Hero—the death of the Demon King. I would have you slay the Demon King Zag’giel.”
“Oh? The Demon King Zag’giel, you say...” For the first time in the conversation, Alus’s voice betrayed some actual interest.
The Goddess felt relieved.
“How splendid, the glint in your eye at the idea of slaying the Demon King,” the Goddess said. “You truly are my chosen Hero!”
“I wouldn’t say my interest has anything to do with slaying...” muttered Alus, too softly for the Goddess to hear.
“However, there is yet more that must be said.”
“Oh, is there?”
“This world is currently facing an unprecedented threat,” the Goddess said.
“Goodness,” responded Alus.
“The Demon King has become the servant of a wicked seductress. Even now this woman is traveling the world, gathering followers. Soon she will assemble an army of the strongest magic beasts in existence, and set out to destroy humanity.”
“How terrible!”
“Indeed. This woman’s name is Kanata Aldezia.”
Alus skipped a beat. “Kanata Aldezia, you say?”
“Verily. She will be a powerful foe—one strong and wicked enough to bring the Demon King Zag’giel himself to heel. Even as a Hero, you will be hard pressed to triumph alone against this embodiment of evil.”
“Yes, I suppose I would.” Alus nodded, as calm as ever. The Goddess smiled, confident that the person she had chosen was a truly extraordinary individual.
“But take heart!” the Goddess said. “There are mighty souls who might vie with her all over the land. I shall grant them divine oracles as well, and they will become your companions. You will set out on your journey to slay Kanata Aldezia in good company!”
“I see,” Alus said. “That makes perfect sense.”
“Then you are resolved. Good. Now, I shall grant unto you the Profession of Hero...”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
The Goddess balked. “What do you mean by that? After everything you have heard, do you have some objection to becoming the Hero?”
“You could say that...” Alus mused. “Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but do you happen to know my name?”
“I do not...”
Now that the boy mentioned it, the Goddess had been searching for individuals based on the strength of their souls. She hadn’t taken a moment to look at his name. As far as the Goddess was concerned, the names of the humans she chose to use as tools were of little consequence. This time, however, that approach was about to come back to bite her.
“My name is Alus Aldezia.”
“I see. Your name is Alus Aldezia. A wonderful name, befitting a Hero of your— Wait. Did you say Aldezia?”
“Indeed I did,” said Alus. “Your embodiment of evil is my older sister!”
“Gehhh...?!” The Goddess made a strange noise, as if something was caught in her throat. “You-You’re her younger brother?! I-Impossible! Of all the absurd coincidences!”
“My sister may be a little bit odd,” Alus said. “Or rather, she may be so odd as to be utterly incomprehensible. But I know she is a kindhearted person. In all my life I have never known anyone to be kinder than her. I do not believe for a second that she would destroy the world.”
“Aha... That is... I...”
“Moreover, the Demon King Zag’giel you speak of is the man to whom I entrusted the care of my sister. I have never met anyone like him before. He is more kingly than the king of this land.”
“W-Wait!” the Goddess implored. “I believe there has been a misunderstanding. Calm yourself, and perhaps we can...talk about it?”
The Goddess thought she might still be able to alter Alus’s thoughts, but Alus was in no mood to entertain any further questions.
“I find it peculiar,” Alus said, rising to his feet from where he had been kneeling on the floor. “The Kanata and Zag’giel I know seem completely unlike the people you describe.” He glared at the Goddess head-on, as if to say he knew a liar when he saw one. “You are nothing but a suspicious woman calling herself a Goddess. I do not pretend to know the details, but you clearly intend to harm my sister and my friend!”