An old man sat in a corner of a room with one wall filled with books on a wooden chair. A small girl sat on a sofa placed in the middle facing the old man.

“Glandpa! Glandpa! Stolies!” Eli said.

“Which one?” Eli's grandpa said. Although he asks her the question, he already knows what her answer is and already held the book she wanted.

“The helo one!”

“The hero one…”

As usual, the little child wants the book about the heroes of the past, the book titled “The five heroes”. He had read all the heroes’ stories within the book, but she’s still eager to hear them again… and again. He doesn’t know which of the heroes made the child happier since she liked all of them. In peculiar he noticed that she like the part where the heroes fought against the demon lord. So he opened the book and let God decide.

The book opened near the first page.

“The first chapter, the rise of the demon lord,” he read the title.

Verda entered the room, “Ah. I was wondering where you were, Eli.”

Verda took a seat next to Eli on the sofa. Eli’s eyes looked at Verda like she wanted something. That something is to let her sit on his lap. As always, he raised Eli onto his lap.

“More than one hundred years ago, a demon lord had lived. The demon lord cares not for humans and becomes an enemy of humankind.

The demon lord stole and plundered cities, towns, and even villages.”

‘What an over-exaggeration,’ Verda thought.

“After he gained all the treasures he got, he looked for a place to stay.

He called a mansion in a once prosperous city his own.

The people of the city fought back.

The demon lord murdered them all with cold blood.

He rose a sea of flame in the town, turning the men, women, and children to ash.”

‘I bought that mansion and I killed only the unwanted visitor. They were the ones who burnt down the city because rumors had spread that made the city’s reputation plummet. And there were no casualties, as I and Lagios had moved them to the closest village.’

“The country sent soldiers to investigate but none returned.

Then they sent an army to the ashen city.

The demon lord placed hundreds of monsters inside the city to defeat the army.

The demon lord’s pawns only slowed down the army’s advance.

But then the demon lord showed up and swatted them like flies.

He defeated the army and made them the nutrition for the monsters.”

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‘No one wants a mob of people that shouted “Defeat the demon lord!” non-stop on their lawn. Those medicine herbs I planted become a casualty. The monsters didn’t dare disturb the mansion, so I let them roam.’

“The army of one country was not enough to defeat him.

The country yelled help to the neighboring country.

With the army of two countries, they attack the demon lord again.

Their attack was meaningless as a grayish-black fog encapsulated the city.

A tactic of a coward, poison.

The fog took the army’s breath away.”

‘That fog was from a failed device I was making that had exploded…. It killed an army?’

“The two countries ask the holy country for help.

The holy country sent their best soldiers to the demon king’s mansion.

They charge in with pride and boldness.

But they underestimated the demon lord’s minion.

The demon lord’s minions were no ordinary monsters.

They could use magic like humans.

They could bore thru the soldiers' armored bodies.

They could regenerate a sword wound that pierced their lungs.

Even a goblin could bite a hole in a soldier’s stomach.

With the terrors in front of them, they retreated.

Retreated to tell the world of the terrors of the demon lord.”

‘A mana sharing device experiment and an evil spirit that lead them. I did contract her to protect the mansion…. Don’t want to deal with annoying people knocking on my front door to slash me again and again.’

“The three defeated countries would not give up.

When it’s time for the international conference, the three countries discuss the demon lord to the world.

The conference resulted in “The Hero Project”.

Hundreds of people from the world were selected, but only one would be the hero.

After a hero had died, the next is selected.

The world put its hopes in these heroes.

The heroes defeated monsters, organizations, and topple a country.

But only one managed to defeat the demon lord.”

‘And I allowed him.’

“Second chapter, the first hero, the swordmast—

Oh, she fell asleep.

Verda, carry her to her bed.”

Verda nods. He carried her to her bed, cover her with a blanket, and looks at her.

“[Message]. Lagios, how’re things on your side?”

‘Master? The same as the past seven days. The carriage will arrive tomorrow, and the auction is in three days.’

“Continue observing the carriage.”

‘Yes, master.’

While they were talking, Eli smiles in her sleep.

“For me to pour my mana to you and take your mana away all week must've tire you. This is for my experiment and a step for you to master magic.

How much would you grow, I wonder.”